LeBron James jumped on his Mind The Game podcast this week to spill all of the details about joining the Philadelphia 76ers. It's the first time LeBron is publicly speaking about his move since signing a two-year deal with the 76ers back in July.
As expected, many factors went into LeBron James joining the 76ers. While they didn't have the sentimental advantage that the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat had, the Sixers have the personnel that stood out to the superstar forward. As we know, Tyrese Maxey is a major draw for the legendary hooper, and it didn't just start with the Klutch Sports connection--it actually started with Maxey's friendship with Bronny James.
The early role that Bronny played
Well before Bronny James was a role player with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was a standout player from the state of California, gearing up for an eventual run at USC. Maxey was a top player out of Texas, who was set to go to the University of Kentucky.
LeBron admitted that before he developed a close connection with Maxey, he was tight with Bronny. James met Maxey when he was 19 and hanging out with his two sons. The respect that Maxey showed to the James family stood out to the Hall of Famer. Eventually, the work ethic that Maxey possessed left a massive impression on LeBron and kept the eventual All-Star on his radar.
Since those days of Maxey and Bronny hanging out, LeBron noticed that nothing has changed. Obviously, that's a great situation.
"He has been the same person, man, and it's hard. I'm not faulting anybody who has some change as far as--growth is good when it's about change--but this young man now is beyond his years for sure," LeBron said of Maxey on Mind The Game.
Later on down the line
The Sixers rewarded Maxey with a max contract before the 2024-2025 NBA season. He's getting paid $203.8 million through the 2028-2029 season. The 25-year-old guard has two All-Star nods under his belt, and is projected to make it three ahead of the 2026-2027 NBA season.
LeBron James is going to join the roster, which still features Joel Embiid, Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers also added Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics.
Bronny is expected to continue carving out a role for himself on the Lakers after his father's exit from the club. He might not have meant to get his dad to join the Sixers for his final days in the NBA, but bringing Tyrese Maxey around ended up becoming a key to the move.
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