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The Sixers Should Sign LeBron James (Let’s Talk This Out)

Matt Schultz

By Matt Schultz

Published:

Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts against the Houston Rockets during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Hear me out. This could be good. Maybe this is where we were always going to end up…

If you haven’t heard yet, Shams broke the news on Tuesday that LeBron James will not be playing for the Lakers next season and is looking to join a new team:

The internet seems to think LeBron will end up going to Golden State or Miami. But deals aren’t done until they’re signed… so let’s discuss the possibility of bringing LeBron to the Sixers. Why not? We’re just talking. It’s fun to talk about stuff.  

Some Stray Thoughts on the Possibility of the Sixers Signing LeBron James

-Let’s not forget, the Sixers very nearly signed LeBron back in 2018 (this is what happened, this is fact, it was not a courtesy meeting for some agent-reasons I don’t understand; the reality is, LeBron was enamored with the Sixers’ young, talented roster and winning culture; I will not back down from this). Ultimately, the deal couldn’t get done, and you gotta think that this sliding doors moment still haunts LeBron. Every few nights, I reckon, he wakes up in a cold sweat, goes to the bathroom to splash his face, then stares into his bloodshot eyes for a long while and mutters to himself:

“2018… A part of me never really left 2018… What would life be like if I signed with the Sixers back then? Joel Embiid was only getting better. How much better could he have gotten by playing with me? How much better could I have gotten by playing with him? Maybe everything would be different. Maybe Ben Simmons would’ve turned out to be a perfectly normal player who doesn’t do fishing-centric interviews in Men’s Health. Maybe I would’ve won more than one weird Disney World championship that everyone knows doesn’t really count. Maybe I’d be… happy… I would live in South Jersey, Marlton, perhaps, in one of those big houses out there where all the Eagles players live… Every now and then I’d drive down to Wilmington to watch Bronny score 16 points on 20 shots with the Blue Coats… We could grab a bite afterward at the Iron Hill on the waterfront there, if it’s still open… Not sure what ended up happening with Iron Hill… Heard they all closed, but then some reopened… The Sixers… Yes… Things would be perfect… 2018… 2018….”

It’s okay, LeBron. Now’s our chance. We can make up for lost time…

-In a basketball sense, signing LeBron James would be pretty great for the Sixers. The Sixers are always in need of guys who can dribble, pass, and shoot, even if they are old as hell. The Sixers’ forward rotation in last year’s playoffs was Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow, and Justin Edwards. Let’s get LeBron in there. That’d be pretty nice.

-In my opinion, it’d be pretty cool to see arguably the best player ever wearing a Sixers uniform. Even if it ended up being a Michael Jordan on the Wizards situation, I wouldn’t mind. The MJ Wizards highlights are pretty sick to watch:

YouTube video

-LeBron James is 41 years old. I think Philadelphia would be a great city to have a mid-life crisis in, if that’s coming for him soon. Plenty for him to get into here. My dad seemed to have fun. He went to Parx Casino a ton.

-I’m not going to talk about contract specifics here. I do not know what LeBron James is looking for in his next contract, and I do not know how much the Sixers would be able to spend on him. Everything I’m seeing online about this varies wildly. Maybe I’ll update this blog later on once I get it all sorted out (I most likely will not). For now, I’ll just say this: I am not a GM. I am not a salary cap guy. Generally, I think figuring out money stuff for NBA players is boring and I don’t care about it. I’m sure the Sixers could make this happen if they wanted to. That’s it. That’s all I’m saying. 

-Some of the internet thinks the Sixers should do this:

-Some of the internet thinks this would be a bad idea/will not happen:

After considering everything, this is where I’ve landed: The Sixers should go out and get LeBron. He’s still good. He’s still a useful player. He’s old, but so are most of the Sixers, so that’s fine. And, maybe most importantly, LeBron on the Sixers would be good for the blogs, and what’s good for the blogs is good for me. 

Matt Schultz
Matt Schultz

Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com

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