The timing could not have been more ironic for Caitlin Clark. Just about 20 minutes after publicly pitching LeBron James to join the Indiana Pacers, she learned in real time that the four-time NBA champion had snubbed all the connected teams for the Philadelphia 76ers. Her stunned reaction, captured on camera, quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
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“No way! I just pitched him for the Pacers. I didn’t get to him fast enough,” Clark said, reacting to the news, as shared by Scott Agness on X. “Selfishly, I wanted the Warriors because Steph and Bron would have been insane together. But they have some serious talent on the 76ers. Arguably maybe one of the favorites in the Knicks and obviously my Pacers, but wow. I thought he was either going to go Miami or Cleveland, so that’s really shocking.
“I’ll be watching more 76ers games, and obviously I’m a big fan of Bron. So no matter where he was going to go, I will probably cheer for that team and root for them.”
Caitlin Clark had made her pitch while entertaining the press at the ongoing WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago. In her pitch, she presented Indiana’s passionate basketball culture, its knowledgeable fanbase, and the opportunity to play alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam as compelling reasons for LeBron James to make the Pacers the final chapter of his career.
But while the interview was still in progress, the breaking news of LeBron’s actual choice was relayed to her. He took a heavy pay cut and signed with Philadelphia’s team on a two-year/ $8 million contract. And her visible shock was instant.
Fans took notice of that reaction immediately, and the responses came flooding in, because a significant number of fans had not seen Philadelphia coming either.
“I am surprised he chose Philly!” one fan wrote. Another fan, equally stunned but realistic about the Pacers’ chances, said: “I don’t think the Pacers had a chance, but Philly was a shocker though.”
Some fans were also in full agreement with Clark’s preferred scenario. That is, LeBron teaming up with Steph Curry in Golden State.
“LeBron and Steph was the dream scenario! 🔥” one fan said. Another fan also echoed that sentiment while still processing the actual news: “Wait, Bron to the Sixers is actually such a wild timeline. Still lowkey dreaming about that Steph and Bron duo though, that would have been cinema.”
At the end of the day, the majority of fans, like Clark herself, did not see Philadelphia coming. But like Clark, they are ready to support Bron and the 76ers.
As one fan put it simply, “Bron really gonna make me watch the Sixers ✌🏽.”
Clark has, in fact, already crowned the 76ers as one of the new Eastern Conference favorites alongside the Knicks and, of course, the Pacers. And for her personally, she is already looking ahead to the NBA schedule release. She has made clear she is particularly excited about the Sixers-Pacers matchup, and has already earmarked getting her tickets for when LeBron and the 76ers come to Indianapolis.