LeBron James took largest paycut in NBA history to join Sixers

LeBron James has set plenty of NBA records. Now for one that probably wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.

James is taking the largest single-season pay cut in league history to join the 76ers, according to HoopsHype.

James made $52.63 million during his final season with the Lakers. His new two-year contract with Philadelphia will pay him $3.88 million in 2026-27, meaning he’s taking a staggering $48.75 million pay cut. That’s the largest in NBA history.

Of course, James can afford it. But the number further illustrates what he said when announcing his decision Friday: Money wasn’t driving this one.

“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money,” James wrote as part of his announcement.

James instead chose Philadelphia because he believes the Sixers give him his best opportunity to win a fifth championship. A Western Conference executive told NBC News the same thing, saying Philadelphia offered James the “best chance for him to win” among the teams he considered. That group included the Cavaliers, Heat and Warriors.

Now James will join Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on a Sixers roster that suddenly looks loaded on paper.

The minimum deal also made Philadelphia’s cap gymnastics considerably easier. The Sixers didn’t have the flexibility to offer James anything close to the salary he commanded in Los Angeles. Apparently, they didn’t need to.

James will turn 42 in December and has indicated Philadelphia will be the final stop of his career.

So after 23 seasons and more than half a billion dollars in NBA salary, James evidently decided the size of the final contract wasn’t particularly important. The chance at another ring was.