League executives surprised by LeBron James’ choice of 76ers

LeBron James surprised a whole lot of people by picking the 76ers. Apparently, that includes people who actually work in the NBA.

Several league executives viewed the Heat, Cavaliers and Warriors as more likely destinations for James before he agreed to a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Philadelphia, according to Joe Vardon, Tony Jones, Dan Woike and David Aldridge of The Athletic.

“That was like option No. 4,” one executive told The Athletic shortly after James announced his decision.

Maybe to everyone else. Perhaps not to LeBron. According to The Athletic, a former Lakers teammate recalled James telling him that he seriously considered Philadelphia during his 2018 free agency before ultimately signing with Los Angeles.

And this time, the basketball argument became awfully compelling.

A source close to James told The Athletic that his decision came down to one thing above everything else: He believes Philadelphia gives him the best opportunity to win a fifth championship.

“All of it was in the service of winning a championship,” the source said.

The Sixers’ blockbuster acquisition of Jaylen Brown apparently changed the equation significantly. Before that trade, Philadelphia reportedly considered itself a long shot for James. After it? Not so much.

Now James joins Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on what suddenly looks like one of the NBA’s most fascinating rosters.

Maxey and Embiid were heavily involved in the recruitment, The Athletic reports, making multiple calls to James over the past few weeks.

There was another connection working in Philadelphia’s favor, too. Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey has known James for more than 25 years. The two competed against each other as high school stars in Northeast Ohio, and Gansey later worked in the Cavaliers’ organization during James’ second stint in Cleveland.

Interestingly, The Athletic reports Gansey didn’t give James a hard sell. Perhaps he didn’t need to.

James reportedly instructed agent Rich Paul to notify Philadelphia of his decision Friday morning. Even members of James’ immediate circle didn’t know what he had chosen until then, and the other teams involved weren’t immediately informed.

That would certainly explain why there was so much conflicting information flying around until the very end. And The Athletic reports the delay wasn’t about James trying to orchestrate another move, either.

He wasn’t waiting for Anthony Davis to be traded to Golden State or Cleveland. He wasn’t waiting to see if Kyrie Irving somehow became available. He was deciding where he thought he could win. Eventually, he decided the answer was Philadelphia.

On the court, James is expected to start at power forward. His role could also be considerably different from the LeBron-centric offenses we’ve watched for most of the past two decades.

Maxey can play off the ball. Brown can score. Embiid can obviously score. James can facilitate without being asked to carry the offense every night. And at 41, perhaps that’s exactly the point. 

The rest of the NBA may have viewed Philadelphia as LeBron’s fourth option. LeBron apparently viewed it as his best one.