LeBron is a Sixer, Huh?

by Ryan Mercier

Well, that’s pretty weird. You know what else is weird? LeBron James played his most consecutive seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers. One of those eight years included a worldwide pandemic and a championship at Disney World. Could Michael Jordan ever do that?

But, seriously, when anyone thinks of James after his career ends it would likely be as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. A team which seemed like the surest bet to wind up with one of the two best NBA players of all-time again in 2026.

However, because one of the smartest GMs in the league did something preposterous, the friendly doors of Philadelphia opened up for LeBron. This is speaking, of course, about Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics offloading Jaylen Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers for 36-year old Paul George and some picks. If he trades Jaylen to any other team, there’s no way LeBron goes to the 76ers, right?

Some conjecture, along with comments from Super Agent Rich Paul, also suggest the Knicks could have been a target for James had New York not won the NBA Championship.

This is all to lay out how wild it is that the Philadelphia 76ers ended up with LeBron James.

First of all, the Luka Dončić trade happened. Calling what Brad Stevens did preposterous is actually an insult to the word when this trade exists. That trade shifted the entire ecosystem of the Los Angeles Lakers from The King to Luka. What followed are some gargantuan What-Ifs.

What if Jayson Tatum never gets injured? Is Brown getting traded the following year? What if the Celtics don’t blow a 3-1 lead to the 76ers in the recent playoffs? Oh yeah, the Sixers, the team which now has Jaylen Brown and LeBron James! What if Joel Embiid doesn’t find the Fountain of Youth for three games in a row to help take out Boston? Lastly, what if the Knicks don’t win the championship?

Ending up in Philly has no narrative juice whatsoever if this were a movie. There are satisfying plotlines if he chose to go to the Lakers, Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, or Miami Heat. Instead, this is real life and the reality is LeBron is on the Sixers. The story? Philadelphia is an extremely good team with an absolute chance to win a championship next season. LeBron would have five rings. What does all that mean? Maybe nothing more than joy for the fans of Philadelphia. The movie executive definitely passes on this one.