Dave McMenamin
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- Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
- Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
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LAS VEGAS — As LeBron James’ free agent decision enters its second week, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to pursue the four-time NBA champion through three of their players, league sources told ESPN.
Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have been in contact with James, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, with Maxey leading the charge.
Maxey, 25, a Klutch Sports client who has also trained with James in the offseason over the past few years, has called the 41-year-old star a “big brother” in the past.
Embiid, the 2022-23 league MVP, teamed with James to win a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
And Brown, with whom James has had playoff battles in the past when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brown with the Boston Celtics, received the MVP nod from James in February.
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“He’s a great basketball player, man,” James said of Brown at the time. “This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why some people don’t mention his name. Like, no one gave them a chance to start the season.”
James also praised Philadelphia fans after he scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter (shooting 5 of 6 from the field, mostly from jumpers) to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112–108 victory in December.
“One thing you know about Philly fans is that they don’t care about anyone but their owners, and I respect and love that,” James said. “I played here obviously 23 years, a lot longer when I was in the Eastern Conference. But to be able to appreciate the City of Brotherly Love and be able to go out and continue to play the game that I love and they respect it, either way – if they do – that’s pretty cool.”
Sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday that the Sixers remain a top potential destination for James, along with the Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Sixers, was recently a guest on the “Game Over” podcast hosted by Max Kellerman and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ agent, and pitched Philadelphia as a landing spot.
“If he were here, I would say, ‘I truly believe this is your best chance to win. You have to figure out all the other things that are just as important,” Myers said. “I would just say: if it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team. Because you can win here in Philadelphia.”
Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was the Cavs’ executive during James’ second stint in Cleveland and competed with him when they were high school players in Northeast Ohio, echoed Myers’ sentiments Monday.
“We actually talked to Rich after the Jaylen trade,” Gansey told The Athletic. “LeBron and his team remain silent and there are rumors about various teams. But we would obviously love to have LeBron. I respect the hell out of him. In my opinion, he is the best player of all time.”
James will be in New York this week for a series of public appearances.
On Thursday, James will appear at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center for two events: the Game Plan Business Summit, hosted by Rich Kleiman of the Boardroom and CNBC; and a live recording of James’ “Mind the Game” podcast with Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton as a guest.
Later Thursday at the Time 100 gala, James will be honored as the magazine’s Athlete of the Century.
On Friday, James will return to Fanatics Fest to record a live taping of his barbershop-themed talk show, “The Shop,” featuring tennis great Novak Djokovic, as well as Maverick Carter, Travis Bennett and Steelo Brim.