The most anticipated NBA media day of 2026 will be in Philadelphia, where LeBron James will finally be formally introduced as a member of the 76ers for the first time.
James and Jaylen Brown are the two major additions by the Sixers, who pulled off two massive swings in Mike Gansey’s first summer leading the front office. Those two will join Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe to form a star-studded starting lineup that is as formidable on paper as any in the league.
For James in particular, this week will be the first time he takes questions about his decision to join the Sixers over a return to the Cavaliers or Heat. On Friday, he got ahead of those questions by releasing a new episode of his Mind The Game podcast with Steve Nash, where he laid out three main reasons why he picked the Sixers — playing with Maxey, the Brown trade and wanting to get Embiid his first championship.
LeBron on Tyrese Maxey
“First of all, my relationship with Tyrese Maxey goes beyond the court. … I just love everything about Tyrese Maxey,” James said. “Every day you get the same person, and that is very rare in sports and super rare in life. And I’ve always talked about how great of a person that he is, and obviously we know what he brings to the basketball court. When I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn’t be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line, calling me. ‘Yo, what we doing? What’s up OG? What’s up oldhead? Come on down here, man, we could use you down here.’ … There’s a lot of times where I don’t answer the phone. But he’s just such a great person that I cannot not talk to him, one.”
LeBron on the Jaylen Brown trade
“But I thought the [Brown] trade, two, was another piece that I don’t think anybody saw coming,” James said. “I think people saw that something was going to happen there, but I don’t think anybody thought it would be Philly that would be part of that trade package. I love the way he approaches the game too. Both sides of the floor, what he brings to the game, his insight on the game. I’ve watched him. Kind of misunderstood, and that’s absolutely OK. We’re all individuals for a reason and everyone’s always trying to put everyone in the same box, and I love what he stands for and what he brings to the table.”
LeBron on Joel Embiid
“And one of the most important, to be honest, is the big fella,” James said. “He’s done everything in our league and the only thing he has not done is win a championship. And I want to try to help him get that first one. He’s been an MVP of our league, has a gold medal, All-Stars, signature shoes, bunch of money, beautiful family — he has everything. He has the city on his back. He’s been The Process for 10 years, 12 years, however long he’s been there, but I think it’s time now we dig even deeper into the process. And I hope that I can be that final little piece that can help him get over the hump and have him see it just a little bit differently than he’s seen it in his career as far as the day-to-day process and the day-to-day of what it takes to get there.”
Can LeBron help Embiid win his first NBA championship?
The first two pieces come as little surprise, given what we’ve heard from James’ agent Rich Paul all summer. Paul spoke multiple times about how close James and Maxey are and how big a draw it was for James to get to play alongside the young guard.
The Brown trade was when the Sixers seemingly became a legitimate destination, as they suddenly had a need at power forward and a core that seemed one piece away from being a serious contender after flipping Paul George for Brown. If James was intrigued by playing with Maxey, the Brown trade made Philly a place where could earnestly see himself winning a fifth title.
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John Gonzalez
His comments about Embiid are the most notable and interesting part of his explanation for picking the Sixers. James knows what it’s like to have the weight of a city on your back, and he seems to view Embiid somewhat as a kindred spirit in the way he’s had to shoulder that burden. James was able to deliver the championship he long promised to Cleveland back in 2016, and sees an opportunity to help Embiid do the same in Philadelphia.
James seems to think he can unlock something else in Embiid by showing him what it takes daily to get through a deep playoff run. Health is always the biggest question mark for Embiid, and it sounds like James believes he can help Embiid be better prepared for a deep playoff run.
It’s not a surprise that James would be drawn to a franchise desperate for a championship. Paul noted earlier in the summer that had the Knicks not won the title last year, James would’ve signed with New York immediately. Instead, he shifted his attention a bit south to Philadelphia and a franchise looking to snap its own title drought, dating back to 1983.
James hopes to be the final piece to the puzzle.
