Philadelphia spent years wondering what LeBron James would look like in a Sixers jersey. Back in 2018, the franchise made its pitch, only to watch him choose Los Angeles. Eight years later, it finally got its answer.

And Pennsylvania is treating his arrival like much more than another free-agent signing.

Shortly after James agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro made sure July 24 would carry some extra meaning. “LEBRON IS COMING TO PHILLY,” Shapiro announced on X. Then came the part nobody could have expected. “By the power vested in me as the Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a die-hard Sixers fan… I hereby proclaim today to be LEBRON JAMES DAY.”

Yes, Pennsylvania officially has a LeBron James Day.

Shapiro’s proclamation designated July 24, 2026, as a one-time “LeBron James Day” across the Commonwealth. The document recognized James’ four championships, four MVP awards, four Finals MVPs, status as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and his work away from basketball. But one line made clear this wasn’t simply a lifetime achievement award.

Pennsylvania welcomed James to the Sixers while predicting his “best season yet” and celebrating what the proclamation called a “bright future in Philadelphia.” That’s quite the expectation for someone entering his 24th NBA season.

Then again, Shapiro hasn’t exactly hidden his Sixers fandom. When Philadelphia acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston earlier this month, the governor celebrated with another message: “Welcome to Philly, JB! Sixers get way better and, as a bonus, the Celtics got worse!” Now, after Brown came LeBron, and Shapiro went from celebrating a trade to issuing an official state proclamation.

The excitement makes sense when you consider what Philadelphia just pulled off.

James had been weighing the final chapter of his career after opting out of his Lakers contract on June 30. Cleveland and Miami were among his other primary options, while Minnesota and Golden State also showed interest. Rich Paul said on July 14 that LeBron already had everything he needed to decide. “He has all the information needed. So now it’s all up to LeBron James to make a decision.” Ten days later, that decision was Philadelphia.

Philadelphia finally gets the LeBron James pairing it wanted

This wasn’t a recruitment that came together overnight.

The Sixers traded Paul George and draft capital to Boston for Brown on July 1. A week later, Bob Myers publicly made Philadelphia’s case, saying, “If it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team, because you can win here in Philadelphia.” The push continued at Fanatics Fest, where Sixers managing partner Josh Harris spoke privately with James. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Brown also reached out as Philadelphia made its case.

There was even a little fun from LeBron himself. During Fanatics Fest, he repeatedly talked about “trusting the process,” a phrase that needs no explanation in Philadelphia.

But there was a serious decision behind the jokes.

“It’s a big decision for not only myself, but for my family as well for the last part of my career and where I want to spend the last few years or the last year or last two years of my NBA career,” James said on Mind the Game during the process.

At 41, James isn’t coming to Philadelphia as the player who needs to carry everything anymore. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season while earning his 22nd straight All-Star selection. Those remain unprecedented numbers for a player over 40. Now he can operate alongside Maxey, Embiid and Brown, who arrives after averaging career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season.

There is also some history being corrected here.

Philadelphia made a serious run at James in 2018. Sixers officials flew to Los Angeles to present their case to his representatives, though LeBron himself wasn’t at the meeting. He eventually chose the Lakers, but later admitted Philadelphia had received serious consideration.

“I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid,” James said that summer, adding that Philadelphia was among the teams on which he had done his “due diligence.”

Eight years later, Embiid is still there. This time, LeBron is coming too.

And the stakes couldn’t be much clearer. Philadelphia hasn’t won an NBA championship since Julius Erving and Moses Malone led the franchise to the title in 1983. James already owns rings with Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Winning another with the Sixers would make him the first player in NBA history to win championships with four different franchises.

That’s a long way down the road, of course. James hasn’t played a minute in a Sixers uniform yet.

But Philadelphia waited eight years to finally get him. Apparently Pennsylvania wasn’t interested in waiting even one more day to celebrate. Before LeBron has scored his first point as a Sixer, July 24, 2026 already belongs to him.