It has been nearly two months since former Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James stunned the world with his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. James’ free agency spanned nearly a month, with public appearances sprinkled in, only adding to the buildup to one of the most groundbreaking free agency decisions in NBA history.
James isn’t unfamiliar with being under a bright spotlight in July; in fact, this summer was the fourth free agency decision of his career, and all of them generated the kind of fanfare that perhaps no other player ever would have been capable of producing. Another thing James is familiar with? His teams starting slowly in Year 1 of the LeBron James experience. Now, it is the Philadelphia 76ers’ turn.
LeBron James Warned as Lakers Tenure Moves to Rear View
Eight years ago, the Lakers were experiencing the kind of buzz that surrounds the 76ers right now, but perhaps only greater. The 2018-19 season looked promising before it came crashing down, though there were many uncontrollable factors that contributed to the Lakers missing the playoffs. The Sixers are far more talented than those Lakers were and face ginormous expectations. But ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has the same warning for James and the Sixers.
“Philadelphia’s great on paper,” Windhorst said during a recent episode of the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “If I just came from somewhere else and I didn’t know what was going on, and I looked at the roster, I’d be like, wow, this is really good. But I think there’s a lot of questions. I would say they’re in a better spot than they were in April. But there are questions as far as where this is going to go.”
Before signing James, the Sixers acquired Jaylen Brown in one of the most unforeseen trades in NBA history. James’ move to the Sixers marks the third time in his four free agency decisions that he has been one of two star additions to a team in the same offseason. Those three teams that added James underperformed at the start of the season.
“Just as a reminder, the Miami Heat in 2010 started out 9-8. The Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 started out 19-20. They were under .500 at midseason. The 2018-19 Lakers missed the playoffs. This is a LeBron thing. When LeBron has arrived, it’s taken a while,” Windhorst said.
Only Time Will Tell if James Made the Right Decision
It wasn’t until James helped lead the Lakers to the 2019-20 NBA championship that critics stopped questioning whether James’ decision to come to Los Angeles was a good one. Until the Sixers reach the mountaintop, the same questions will likely follow James in Philadelphia.
James informed the Lakers in late June that he had planned to move on and wouldn’t return for a ninth season with the franchise, ending one of the most polarizing stints in team history. Where James ranks among the ladder of Lakers greats will get debated for decades.
In the end, it appeared James’ free agency decision came down to three teams, including the Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
James ultimately chose a new road over familiar territory.
Ex-Lakers’ LeBron James Gets Brutal Warning After Rejecting LA for $8M Deal