LeBron James took the sports world by storm on Friday with his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. James has quite the welcoming committee to the sports-craved city, welcoming him with open arms, including a former Penn State star.
Saquon Barkley, former Penn State running back and current Philadelphia Eagle, was among the many in the city rejoicing in the decision by James to sign with the Sixers. Barkley took to social media to welcome King James to the City of Brotherly Love, and he is already hoping to hit the links with him in the near future.
"Welcome to the city! Let me know when you tryna tee it up," Barkley said in a post on his X, formerly Twitter, account on Friday, in which he tagged the account of LeBron James. Barkley sent
the post as the news was breaking.
Welcome to the city! Let me know when you tryna tee it up 🏌🏽⛳️ @KingJames
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 24, 2026
It was just two years ago that Barkley was the top free agent signing heading to Philadelphia, although under very different circumstances. Barkley had tried to work out a deal to remain with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him out of Penn State. However, the Giants made the decision to invest their money in other ways and allow Barkley to test the free agent market. Barkley then signed with the Eagles in a move that rocked the NFL world and helped make the Eagles a legitimate Super Bowl contender. As it turned out, Barkley had a career year in becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season as he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history.
James is not in his prime anymore and has indicated his two-year contract will finish out his career. Still, he can play a vital role in bringing a long-awaited championship back to the Sixers. Barkley may not be a Sixers fan, but another former Penn State star is and will be enjoying every second of LeBron-mania in Philly. That would be current New York Giant Abdul Carter, who also celebrated the LeBron signing on social media.
Not every former Nittany Lion seems excited about the LeBron James move. Micah Parsons took to social media to question why nobody seemingly wants to join Steph Curry with the Golden State Warriors.
Nobody wants to play with my man curry man I don’t get it!! All he do is win!! What is going on in the bay!!???
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) July 24, 2026
We'll look forward to any future outings between Barkley and LeBron James and how much fun Abdul Carter will have watching his favorite basketball team. As for Parsons, we'll see how he handles it all as well!
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Saquon Barkley welcomes LeBron James to Philly
