LeBron James will join his fourth different NBA team after agreeing a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers

Washington (United States) (AFP) - LeBron James announced on Friday he will play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season, with the 41-year-old NBA superstar hoping to transform another franchise into a championship team.

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has won four titles in a 23-year career, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers, who he said earlier this month he would not return to for the 2026-27 campaign.

James led the Miami Heat to NBA crowns in 2013 and 2014, brought his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers a title in 2016 and delivered a championship for the Lakers in 2020.

He’s looking to make the same magic happen in what Rich Paul, James’s agent, tells ESPN will be a two-year deal worth $8 million.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James posted on X.

The NBA legend was considering several clubs but will join a 76ers team that traded for forward Jaylen Brown from Boston and boasts a lineup that will also include star center Joel Embiid and guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

James averaged 20.9 points a game for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement strongly when the campaign concluded.

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game,” James posted on X.

“I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game.”

Paul played up the potential clubs James could join during more than three weeks of mystery about where he might sign.

Would James return home to Cleveland, return to Miami, possibly join pals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green at Golden State? Would he find another contender to boost?

“This is my last decision,” James posted. “I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family.

“What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.”

James did send his regrets to some of his other suitors, posting: “Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!”