Evan Turner doesn’t believe LeBron James is slowing down anytime soon.
The former Philadelphia 76ers No. 2 overall draft pick said that he believes the 41-year-old has more than two seasons left in him. James signed a two-year deal with a player option with Philadelphia in the offseason. The four-time MVP is off to a solid start in Philadelphia, leading them to a 3-1 record with victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending champs, the New York Knicks.
James led the 76ers to a 29-point comeback — the largest of James’ 24-season career — in the win over Cleveland.
Turner — who is speaking on behalf of Slotozilla — said James isn’t “slowing down.”
“I was kind of surprised because I just thought he’s going back to Cleveland, or I thought there were other spots to go,” said Turner in a one-on-one interview of James’ decision to sign with the 76ers. “Now when I look at, I’m like, ‘Man, this is a great, great choice by him.’ Actually, this wasn’t shocking. This was actually a great basketball choice. So I think he plays more than two years. I just don’t….he’s not slowing down.”
LeBron James Fits in Seamlessly With 76ers’ Starting Five
The four-time NBA champion has appeared in three games and has fit in seamlessly alongside stars such as Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown. James is averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. James ranks fourth on the team in scoring, second in rebounds and leads the team in assists per game. The pecking order for scoring is as follows for Philadelphia: Maxey, Embiid, Brown and James.
“If you look at after the first playoff series, he just took out the Houston Rockets with a great coach and Ime Udoka, great young talent, Kevin Durant, everything, and he led a team through the first round, which is absolutely tough, especially when you have your top two guys going down as well,” said Turner. “I think he still has more in the tank. Like when you said that starting five, it’s just like, ‘Alright, I don’t see myself slowing down. Who’s better?’ It’s almost like the Stefon Diggs thing. Alright, if I’m not the better one, who’s a better number two than me that’s elite? I think Jalen Williams from OKC is one of the best top 15 players in the world, and I would throw LeBron up against him any night. Bron got five or 10 more years the same way with KD. They’re like, ‘Where am I going?’ There’s nothing else to do. This s*** is easy.”
76ers’ Rivals (Knicks, Heat) 0ff to Winless Starts
It remains to be seen how the starting five holds up over the course of a long 82 game season. That’s obviously the key determinant in how far the 76ers advance, especially considering Embiid has a long list of injuries over the course of his career and Maxey himself missed 30 games during the 2024-25 season due to injuries.
But the early returns on the James signing have been promising, especially when other Eastern Conference contenders have gotten off to slow starts. The Knicks are 0-3 while the new-look Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Miami Heat are 0-4.
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