PHILADELPHIA — On the latest episode of his podcast with Hall of Famer Steve Nash, LeBron James opened up about why he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
While James talked about his close relationship with Tyrese Maxey and how the Jaylen Brown trade was an “intriguing piece,” the NBA legend’s desire to help Joel Embiid win a championship played a major role.
“One of the most important, to be honest, is the big fella,” James said. “He’s done everything in our league, and the only thing he has not done and that’s win a championship. And I want to try to help him get that first one. He’s been MVP of our league, has a gold medal, All-Stars, signature shoes, bunch of money, beautiful family, he has everything.
“He has the city on his back. It’s been the process, you know, for what, 10 years, 12 years or however long he’s been there. But I mean, I think it’s time now that we even dig even deeper into the process, and I hope that I can be kind of that final little piece that can help him get over the hump.”
Embiid Lost Weight, ‘Extra Motivated’ After James, Brown Additions
New 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey told ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi in August that Embiid is “healthy” and “extra motivated.”
Embiid posted a picture on social media of himself working out over the summer, and it was evident that the All-Star lost weight.
“Joel is great,” Gansey said. “This is like the first summer I think in a while that he’s been healthy, so he’s been in the gym working out. He’s been lifting weights. He’s extra motivated. He wants to play a lot of games, and he’s excited about the group we’ve built now. Even before these trades and LeBron, I think he was excited. So he’s motivated to have a good year, and he’s ready to go.”
The 76ers will start Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid this season.
On paper, that looks like the best starting five in the NBA.
Gansey said he watched tape of James and Embiid playing together for USA Basketball at the 2024 Olympics. The former Ohio basketball star is excited to see how James, Embiid, Brown, Edgecombe and Maxey mesh this season in Nick Nurse‘s system.
“Any given night, anyone can be the guy,” Gansey said. “So I think sacrifice will be big for us. But Joel is arguably the best and most talented big I’ve ever been around. … He’s going to be a huge piece to our success. We have LeBron and Jaylen, but Joel’s going to be as important as those guys.
“LeBron’s had a lot of usage his whole career, but last year [with] the Lakers with Luka out, he was the guy. Jaylen last year with Tatum out, he was the guy. VJ and Tyrese did a lot outside of when Joel plays or doesn’t play. So everyone’s been used to that for their career, but I think getting them all together, in camp, in practice, they’re all going to benefit from each other.”
Embiid has played a combined 96 regular-season games over the past three seasons. The big man has not played in more than 40 games since the 2022-23 campaign, his MVP season.
The 76ers have never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era.
That will likely change this season.
