Although he was considering retirement, LeBron James has now decided to sign for the Philadelphia 76ers. Details of the basketball legend's new contract have now emerged.
Having left the Los Angeles Lakers last month after eight years with the NBA team, the 41-year-old was wanted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers – and has now joined the latter. Revealing his decision, he said:
"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."
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LeBron James' Philadelphia 76ers Contract Revealed
Team USA Stripes forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots
As reported by ESPN, James is going to earn a relatively modest salary during his time with the 76ers. Indeed, he is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option. This works out at roughly $4 million per season, which is far less than the nearly $53 million he was making with the Lakers last year.
NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan explained on social media: "He is signing for the veteran minimum, but it will count as the full $3.9 million rather than $2.4 million since it's a two-year deal. The Sixers will need to waive a player to fit him under the first apron hard cap."
James' new contract certainly backs up claims for the basketball star that he is not playing for the money. Explaining that he's simply in it for the love of the sport, he remarked: "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?"
He will now play for the fourth NBA team of his career – after the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and LA Lakers – as he searches for a fifth NBA championship before retirement.
James on Lowest Salary Since Rookie Deal With Cleveland
LeBron JamesAlonzo Adams via Imagn Images
As also reported by ESPN, the Sixers came at James 'from all angles' as they looked to get him on board. President of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was a Cavaliers executive during James' second stint in Cleveland and competed against him as high school players in Northeast Ohio, is said to have stayed in constant communication with Rich Paul (James' agent) behind the scenes.
On top of that, Sixers players Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and the newly acquired Jaylen Brown, worked on James directly. That effort was led by Maxey, who is also a client of Paul's Klutch Sports Group and has referred to James as a "big brother" in the past.
Working as James' agent, Paul has gone on the record to say that his client was prioritising "basketball happiness" at this stage of his career. Money certainly doesn't seem to be a big concern, with the sporting legend understood to now be on his lowest annual salary since his rookie deal with Cleveland more than two decades ago.
In comparison, Stephen Curry, for example, was the best-paid NBA star going into the 2025/26 season. He made $59,606,817 with the Golden State Warriors on a contract which runs until 2027.