Previously, LeBron James clearly stated that money was not the factor for choosing his next team. Despite major interest from the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Philadelphia 76ers eventually became his destination. The 22x All-Star finally revealed why he joined the Sixers but never detailed why the other teams missed out.
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“I just don’t get why these players can’t just say exactly what you just said,” Brendon Kleen said on Awful Announcing’s The Play-By-Play LIVE. “Like, what would be so bad about LeBron James sitting there on his podcast and saying it’s not a shot at James Harden. It’s just like, ‘I respect Donovan. I respect James and love Cleveland. It didn’t make sense. Like what, why, and what prevents these guys who reach authenticity, they can’t just say the obvious quiet part out loud? And it’s just like infuriating every time these opportunities come along and they just don’t take them.”
Speaking on the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash on Friday, James finally revealed the reasons he chose Philadelphia. The 22x All-Star specified his relationship with Tyrese Maxey extended beyond the hardwood, and it played a key role.
Bron even detailed that the 76ers were not even a team on his shortlist until the Jaylen Brown trade took place. But on his podcast, James said his biggest motivation was to help Joel Embiid: “And I want to try to help him get that first one.”
LeBron James even explained that The Process has won MVP and All-Star accolades, and even an Olympic medal. But Embiid’s postseason journey with the Sixers over his decade-long career has not advanced past the second round.
“I hope that I can be that final little piece that can help him get over the hump and have him see it just a little bit differently than he’s seen it in his career as far as the day-to-day process and the day-to-day of what it takes to get there.”
LeBron James also stated that he was deeply motivated by the broader “Championship Culture” embedded across the city’s other major sports teams. On the podcast, he labeled Philadelphia as “The City of Champions” and praised it as the best sports town in the world.
But according to Kleen, since the podcast is famous for detailed breakdowns, roster construction details around Cleveland should have been discussed.
Throughout the start of the 2026 offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers (alongside finalists like the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors) were viewed as the favorites and the primary destination for a potential homecoming. Kleen expected LeBron James to address the fit issues surrounding the Cavs head-on, but it never came.
On offense, the trio would create major spacing issues, especially with a non-shooting frontcourt. LeBron, Harden, and Mitchell all do their best work with the ball in their hands, so asking two of them to stay on the perimeter without strong off-ball movement could bog down the offense.
Add two bigs, and the paint would quickly become crowded. Driving lanes would disappear, leaving the stars to settle for contested mid-range shots or isolation possessions. The defensive concerns would be just as significant.
Harden and an aging LeBron James can be targeted on the perimeter, while Mitchell gives up size against bigger wings. Quick, perimeter-oriented teams could attack those matchups repeatedly and put constant pressure on the bigs behind them. That would force the frontcourt to clean up too many breakdowns at the rim, increasing the chances of fouls, late rotations, and open looks.
While the Cavs lost out on Bron, they chose Peyton Watson instead, who is a much better and younger fit. For LeBron James, the 76ers offer a better chance to win another ring, a path he has accepted before. Yet Kleen believed the detailed reasoning from the new Sixers star would have been on brand with the Mind the Game podcast.