Philadelphia 76ers fans can put their worries about the Jaylen Brown-LeBron James concerns away for good. After weeks of speculation, LeBron James is joining the Sixers.
Shortly after ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news, LeBron issued a personal statement confirming his move. After that, Brown took to the social media platform X to throw up his now-famous four-word slogan: Throw the ball up.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 24, 2026
Jaylen Brown and LeBron James bury the hatchet
Lip readers once caught on to Jaylen Brown being critical of Bronny James during an NBA Summer League game in 2024. The former Boston Celtics star questioned James' status as an incoming pro.
Admittedly, that bothered the 41-year-old forward at the time. Just this past season, LeBron mentioned it again when he was asked about Jaylen Brown, following a Lakers-Celtics battle.
"Our relationship has been pretty respectful, besides the [expletive] he said about Bronny at summer league," James said in February, according to ESPN. "But other than that, other than that we've been all right."
Still, there was some nervousness there for Philly fans, the moment that the 76ers registered interest in LeBron James. After all, it became clear that the Sixers were pursuing the former MVP just hours after they acquired Brown from the Celtics.
Reports suggested that LeBron and Brown's past issues would not affect James' mindset during free agency. The Sixers had a shot just like the other finalists. Clearly, the hatchet is buried.
LeBron has moved past the Bronny comment, and must be excited to take the floor with a player that he believed was underrated throughout the 2025-2026 NBA season.
"This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well," James said, via ESPN. "Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he's averaging what, 30? Just under 30? It's a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you."
The Sixers are going all-in
After another second-round exit during the Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey era, the Sixers shook up the front office and brought in former Cleveland Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey to take over as the President of Basketball Operations.
So far, Gansey has entered the City of Brotherly Love with a bang, adding two more All-Stars to the team within the matter of a month.
In Boston last season, Brown appeared in 71 games. He made 47.7% of his shots from the field, and hit on 34.7% of his threes. The ex-Celtic produced averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
As for James, he had another All-Star run in 60 games with the Lakers last year. The veteran forward averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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