Nearly two weeks into NBA free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers are on the edge of their seats waiting for LeBron James' final decision.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, all of the pitches are in. Now, it's decision time for LeBron James.
"All of the information, for the most part, is in," Charania said on ESPN on Monday, July 13.
"GMs, presidents, owners, they've all been heard from. They're continuing to have conversations with Rich Paul here this week as well. Players have also reached out to LeBron James to recruit him, and yes, all of the voice notes have been listened to."
James wasn't expected to have to have any direct meetings with teams this offseason. His agent, Rich Paul, has been collecting pitches and reporting back to his star client.
It's unclear who from Philadelphia had contact with Rich Paul outside of Bob Myers. The HBSE President of Sports made his public pitch to Paul last week on the agent's podcast, Game Over.
“If he was here, I would honestly say that this is your best chance to win,” Myers told Paul and his co-host, Max Kellerman.
“You have to decide all of the other things that are equally important, because it’s his life. He has to play, and he has to face the scrutiny of his decision. People will say you should’ve done this or should’ve done that, and criticize him for whatever, which is his life. He’s been through all that. What I would just say is, if it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team. You can win here in Philadelphia.”
Do the 76ers entice LeBron James?
Around the start of free agency, the Sixers were considered to be in a small group of teams that interested James after his run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
With decision time nearing, the Sixers still seem to be in the mix.
According to Charania, the 76ers are competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"LeBron James has made it clear privately that he wants to go somewhere he can compete for a championship," the NBA insider added. "Somewhere he feels like he finds that happiness from a team environment and culture that he feels he can uplift."
The Sixers haven't been able to establish a championship-winning culture in decades, but they feel like they are turning a corner with the young stars Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Now that they've added the one-time NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the mix, and still have the former NBA MVP in Joel Embiid, the Sixers view the four-time NBA champion, LeBron James, as the final link.
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