LeBron James will join the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN, and will sign a two-year contract with the team that will further his historically long NBA career by another two years.
James has played in the NBA for 23 seasons.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Key Facts
James is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, NBA insider Shams Charania reported, meaning James will be able to decide to extend his contract for an additional season at a set salary or decline the final year to become an unrestricted free agent.
James, 41, has the longest career in NBA history with 23 seasons completed.
The star player said in a statement he thought he was “done” when the latest NBA season ended and was “pretty sure I played my last game.”
“This is my last decision,” James added, saying he was not playing for money or family and that he still wants to win and to “have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.”
James will be joining a formidable team, reinforcing veteran center Joel Embiid, all-star guard Tyrese Maxey and recently acquired star forward Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics.
The 76ers have not won an NBA championship in 43 years.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate James’ net worth at $1.4 billion. James, the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, generated upwards of $500 million in pretax salary on the court and more than $1 billion pretax in off-court business ventures and brand deals.
Key Background
James announced he was leaving the Lakers last month after eight seasons and one championship with the team, wrapping up a two-year, $104 million deal. Basketball insiders and fans speculated what his next move would be, with teams like the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors emerging as potential leaders. James is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, building the reputation through four NBA championships across three teams, four NBA Finals MVPs and his standing as the NBA all-time scoring leader with over 40,000 points.
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