It’s telling that the league still is latching on to 41-year-old LeBron James as the signature star, and the offseason has been—you guessed it—all about LeBron’s final decision. I think he got it right.
Despite people claiming not to care what he would do, his decision generated plenty of reaction on social media, ESPN, and talk radio on Friday when he announced he would finish his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a two-year deal.
This decision is as good as his second decision to go back home and win a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, his latest one may be even better.
James could have made it a retirement decision by finishing his career with the Cavaliers since his third Cleveland tour would be a celebration of his career. In Cleveland, it would have meant everything. For the rest of the country, no one would care about him playing out his final season for a team that is not a championship contender.
Playing with the Miami Heat could have been appealing for him, especially playing with Antetokounmpo, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. He won two championships with that team, and winning another one and finishing his career would have been a waste.
The 76ers give him what he needs: A challenge. He can win it all playing with Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, newly acquired Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. Playing in a demanding sports town would give him the edge to be the best he can be, something that seemed to be lacking in his time with the Lakers.
It would have been cool to see him play with the Denver Nuggets’ big guy Nikola Jokic. It would not be impossible if he could take the Nuggets to the NBA Finals, but his path to the Finals is much easier going through the East than the wringer out in the West. In the East, he’s going up against the NBA champion New York Knicks and Miami Heat. In the West, he has to go through the two best NBA teams in the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, who can wear him out at his age.
I don’t know if the Sixers can win it all. You must go with the Thunder as the prohibitive favorites heading into next season. But James can take his chances if he can take his new team to the Finals just like the Knicks liked their chances against the Spurs in this year’s championship round.
Graphic courtesy ESPN
James’ decision to go to Philadelphia will raise interest this coming season. There will be people who want to see him fail, as he has been a polarizing figure ever since he decided to take his talent to South Beach in 2010. James fans want a John Elway-like ending for their hero.
For Philadelphia sports fans, they want to see their basketball team win a championship for the first time since 1983, when they almost completed a “fo, fo, fo” run of getting three playoff sweeps.
It will be interesting to see how he will handle the grind and pressure of playing in a demanding sports town. There’s not going to be any patience in Philadelphia. It’s going to be a lot different than he’s accustomed to. Remember, he never really was ripped while he was playing in a Hall of Fame career.
Give James credit for wanting to play in Philadelphia. I never thought he would do this. He could have been sheltered by finishing his career in Cleveland or Miami. This decision will have me watching plenty of his games for the first time since he went back home. You can bet America will do the same.
If anything else, James is going to have everyone watching and talking.
