LeBron James Signs With 76ers in “Last Decision,” Ending Lakers Era

(WS News) – LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending months of speculation about his future by agreeing to a two-year, $8 million contract that closes out his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

James, 41, announced the move himself on social media, calling it his “last decision” and revealing he had seriously considered retirement after his 23rd NBA season ended. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” James wrote, adding that he believes he can help make the 76ers a championship team. The deal, which includes a player option for the second year, represents a massive pay cut from the roughly $53 million James earned with the Lakers last season, according to his agent, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul.

The move reunites James with Joel Embiid, with whom he won Olympic gold as part of Team USA in 2024, and pairs him with All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and newly acquired forward Jaylen Brown, whom Philadelphia landed in a blockbuster trade that sent Paul George and four draft picks to the Celtics. Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who has known James since their days competing for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball award, was among those who helped recruit him, while Bob Myers, president of the Sixers’ parent company, made a pitch to James’s camp on Paul’s podcast.

James’s departure closes an eight-year chapter in Los Angeles that included three Finals appearances and a championship in 2020, and leaves the Lakers to rebuild around Luka Doncic. It remains unclear whether James’s son, Bronny, currently on the Lakers, will follow his father to Philadelphia, with reports suggesting the Lakers hope to keep the younger James on their roster.