PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James signed a two-year, nearly $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason.
It’s a huge pay cut for the NBA legend, who made $52.6 million with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Don’t worry, though. James is not hurting for money.
After all, he’s already a billionaire, and according to Front Office Sports, James will earn $15 million per year from his Polymarket endorsement deal.
“The prediction-market platform is paying James $15 million a year under the recently announced partnership, sources tell FOS,” Front Office Sports wrote. “James is not an investor in Polymarket, just an endorser, one source says. The length of his agreement with Polymarket was not clear, although one source says it’s an ‘ongoing engagement’ with multiple ‘deliverables,’ such as social media posts and other content. Under the deal, James will focus on promoting football, not basketball.”
Inside LeBron’s Decision To Join 76ers
June 30, 2026. That’s the day James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, told the Lakers LeBron would not return to the franchise.
One day later, the 76ers agreed to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster deal that ultimately pushed James to sign with the franchise one of his closest friends, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, used to star for.
“The Jaylen trade pushed LeBron to sign with Philly,” a source told Dallas Sports Journal.
This offseason was the first time since 2018 that James was an unrestricted free agent. The 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat were the four teams the NBA icon seriously considered joining before eventually signing with Philadelphia.
Had the 76ers not traded for Brown, James would not be in Philadelphia.
“LeBron would not be on the 76ers right now if they didn’t get Jaylen,” a source told Dallas Sports Journal. “That was the move that made this all happen.”
When James’ son, Bronny James, was playing in Summer League for the Lakers in 2024, Brown was caught on camera saying, “I don’t think Bronny is a pro.” Sources said LeBron was not happy about what Brown had to say about his son, who nearly died in July 2023 when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at the University of Southern California.
LeBron thought a player of Brown’s caliber would understand that it would take Bronny time to regain confidence and rhythm on the basketball court after such a traumatic event, sources said.
When the 76ers acquired Brown, many people around the NBA speculated that the move would deter them from getting LeBron. However, sources told Dallas Sports Journal at the start of July that LeBron and Brown have moved past their differences and are on good terms, so much so that Brown — along with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — heavily recruited LeBron to the City of Brotherly Love.
Maxey and LeBron are represented by Paul. Brown, LeBron and Maxey have trained together multiple times already this offseason.
LeBron didn’t tell Paul about his decision to sign with the 76ers until one hour past midnight on July 24. James kept going back and forth between Philadelphia, Miami and Cleveland, sources said.
While LeBron has always wanted to play with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and living in San Francisco would have let him be close to his wife and daughter in Los Angeles, LeBron never seriously considered joining the Warriors, sources said.
“It was between Miami, Philly and Cleveland for LeBron,” a source told Dallas Sports Journal. “He’s already won in Miami and Cleveland. He wanted a new challenge and wants to bring Philly a ring.”
The 76ers have never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era.
That will likely change next season with LeBron in the fold next to Embiid, Maxey, Brown and VJ Edgecombe.
