The Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) are pulling out all the stops to sign LeBron James, the top free agent on the market.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported, citing sources, that Philadelphia is continuing its efforts to sign James by leveraging three players.
According to the report, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown have been in contact with James, with Maxey reportedly taking the most active role in reaching out to him.
Maxey, who is signed to the same agency as James—Clutch Sports—is a close friend with whom he trains every offseason. Maxey has even stated that he looks up to James and refers to him as his big brother.
Embiid, the 2022–23 league Most Valuable Player (MVP), also teamed up with James to win a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Brown, too, faced James as an opponent when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during Brown’s time with the Boston Celtics, but the two have mutual respect for one another. James even mentioned Brown as an MVP candidate last February.
After suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks in the second round of last season’s playoffs and being eliminated early, Philadelphia is accelerating its off-season efforts to bolster its roster in pursuit of a championship next season. Signing James could be the icing on the cake.
Although Philadelphia is sending strong signals of interest—even enlisting players to do so—James’s next destination remains a mystery. Media outlets have reported that Philadelphia, Cleveland, and the Miami Heat are the leading contenders for James.
James is scheduled to stay in New York this week to attend several official events. It remains to be seen whether his next team will be decided during this time.