As Jaylen Brown begins his tenure as a Philadelphia 76er, he won’t just be playing alongside former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey and Rookie of the Year finalist VJ Edgecombe.
He’ll also be joining forces with arguably the greatest player in NBA history: LeBron James.
After a weeks-long free agency process, James chose to sign with Philadelphia on a two-year, $8 million contract that includes a player option, according to a report Friday from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 41-year-old James, who is entering his record 24th NBA season, confirmed the signing on social media.
“I thought I was done when the season ended,” the four-time MVP wrote in a series of posts on X. “I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and [decide] if I still love this game.
“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give. The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out.
“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship. I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.”
The move gives the Sixers perhaps the most star-studded starting lineup in the NBA, though one that features the league’s oldest player in James and one of its most injury-prone in Embiid. Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe all were regularly available last season, however, appearing in 70, 71 and 75 games, respectively.
Since rallying from a 3-1 deficit to upset the Celtics in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs, then being swept by the eventual champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Philadelphia has flipped Paul George and a package of draft picks to Boston for Brown and now signed James, beating out other reported suitors like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.
James is coming off one of the quietest statistical seasons of his Hall of Fame career. He appeared in 60 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 20.9 points (a career low), 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals. James announced on June 30 that he would not return to the Lakers, whom he led to a championship in 2020.
Still, his arrival elevates Philadelphia’s ceiling in a competitive Eastern Conference — and places even more pressure on Boston during what’s been an unpopular offseason for the franchise.
The Celtics, who faced harsh criticism for trading Brown to a division rival for an uninspiring return, will see the new-look Sixers twice this preseason, including in their home opener at TD Garden on Oct. 10.