LeBron Signs With 76ers For Record 24th Season — SkimNews
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- LeBron James signed a two-year, $8m (£6m) contract with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer with a player option for year two, taking what the piece frames as a pay cut to launch his record-extending 24th NBA season at age 41.
- LeBron James will open the season on the road against the reigning champion New York Knicks, who ended a 53-year championship drought for the five boroughs in June.
- Philadelphia 76ers went 45-37 last season before being swept in the second round by those same Knicks; the franchise has not won a title since 1983.
- LeBron James told Sixers media day, 'I didn't leave my family (in Los Angeles) to lose in the second round,' naming Joel Embiid's pursuit of a first championship as part of his motivation.
- LeBron James has won titles with Miami (two), Cleveland, and the LA Lakers — including ending Cleveland's 56-year drought in 2016 — and a Philadelphia ring would make the 76ers his fourth championship franchise.
- Philadelphia 76ers will pair LeBron with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and newly acquired Jaylen Brown for what the article calls 'the most anticipated season in Philly since Julius Erving's heyday.'
Why it matters: The Sixers haven't won a title since 1983 and were bounced in the second round last year, so by taking $8m at 41 James is explicitly prioritizing a fourth franchise championship and Embiid's first ring over max money — with opening night at the defending-champion Knicks setting the tone immediately.
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