LeBron James will officially speak for the first time as a Sixer on Monday at media day. But on Friday, he sat down with Steve Nash for the season premiere of his Mind the Game podcast to discuss what caused him to sign with the Sixers this summer.
The main takeaway? The Sixers need to build Mike Muscala a statue.
It would be an understatement to say that LeBron gushed about Tyrese Maxey. It’s clear that Maxey was influential in his decision to come to Philadelphia, no matter how much Maxey might try
to downplay it.
“I just love everything about Tyrese Maxey, man,” LeBron said. “Every day, you get the same person. And that is very rare in sports and obviously super rare in life. And I’ve always talked about how great of a person that he is. Obviously, we know what he brings to the basketball court.
“When I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn’t be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line, calling me, ‘Yo, what we doing? What’s up, OG? What’s up, Old Head? Come on down here, we could use you down here.” And our relationship, a lot of times, I don’t answer the phone for a lot of phone calls. ‘Cause I don’t even want to be swayed in one way. I already know what you’re calling about. But he’s such a great person that I can’t not talk to him.”
However, Maxey wasn’t the only thing that lured him. LeBron also made it clear how much he respects Jaylen Brown.
“I love the way he approaches the game, too,” he said. “Both sides of the floor, what he brings to the game. His insight on the game. I’ve watched him. Kind of misunderstood. And that is absolutely OK. I think we are all individuals for a reason. Everyone’s always trying to put everybody in the same box. And I love what he stands for and what he brings to the table in that fashion.”
LeBron later added that he and Brown worked out “three or four times this offseason” and have “been in communication.” Since they and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are the only members of this year’s Sixers who have already won an NBA title, they appear to be taking it upon themselves to demonstrate what championship habits look like from day one.
“We’re two of the guys on the team that’s been through the foxhole and been through the wringer of what it takes from the moment we step on the court for training camp to the moment we raise that Larry O’Brien Trophy,” LeBron said. “We know what it takes. Just trying to make sure we’re on the same page and have everybody else on the same page.”
Joel Embiid, who teamed up with LeBron on Team USA in the 2024 Olympics—and was a main reason why they got past Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals—was also a major draw.
“One of the most important, to be honest, is the big fella,” LeBron said. “He’s done everything in our league. The only thing he has not done is win a championship. I want to try to help him get that first one.
“He’s been the 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. He’s been the Process, 10 years, 12 years, however long he’s been there. But I think it’s time now that we dig even deeper into the process, and I hope that I can be that final little piece that can get him over the hump, and maybe just see it a little bit differently than he’s seen it in his career as far as the day-to-day process, the day-to-day what it takes to get there.”
LeBron also expressed his admiration for VJ Edgecombe, whom he called “a flat-out player.”
“The intel that I’ve got from everyone is that this kid is beyond his year,” he said. “They say he was actually one of the leaders of the team as a 20-year-old rookie. And not in a disrespectful manner, it’s not like he was speaking just to be speaking or thinking he’s better than this guy. No. They say he speaks with an intelligent, confidence, natural. Works extremely hard.”
While the Sixers might not have Simone Fontecchio, the prospect of their star-studded starting five was enough to convince LeBron to take a veteran-minimum contract in Philadelphia. When training camp officially kicks off Tuesday, it’ll be on him, Brown, KCP and head coach Nick Nurse to set the tone for what they hope to be a championship season.
