LeBron James has changed teams for the first time in eight years, joining a Philadelphia 76ers squad loaded with stars and making clear that at 41, he is chasing another NBA championship.
James appeared in a Sixers uniform for the first time Monday, wearing his familiar No. 23 as Philadelphia prepared to open training camp.
His arrival gives the Sixers one of the NBA’s most formidable-looking rosters. Philadelphia also acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston and already has Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and rising guard V.J. Edgecombe.
James, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract in July after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, cautioned that putting several stars together does not guarantee a championship.
“It’s going to take time,” James said. “Everyone wants like instant oatmeal.”
The four-time NBA champion said Philadelphia’s stars will have to sacrifice and accept unfamiliar roles if the team is going to succeed.
“If we don’t do that, then we’ll be like, ‘Oh man, it was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent. And we lost in the second round,’” James said.
“I don’t wanna do that. I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.” James spent the previous eight seasons with the Lakers before leaving as Luka Doncic assumed the leading role in Los Angeles.
In Philadelphia, James said he is prepared to play whatever role coach Nick Nurse needs. “The luxury of my game is that I can do everything. Literally. I can do everything,” James said.
Finding enough touches for everyone could be one of Nurse’s biggest challenges. Brown averaged 28.7 points per game for Boston last season, while James, Embiid and Maxey have all been their teams’ primary scorers at different points in their careers. Anfernee Simons, another proven scorer, also joined Philadelphia.
James said the Sixers will have to become comfortable making sacrifices if they want their collection of talent to translate into wins.
Philadelphia will not have long to figure it out. The Sixers open their season against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks on Oct. 20.
For James, however, the goal is already clear: he did not come to Philadelphia simply to make another playoff appearance.
