LeBron James chose the Sixers in his ‘final decision.’ Now he’s bringing a championship ‘blueprint’ to Philly.
Since James’ official arrival at the Sixers’ facility in late September, coach Nick Nurse has called him an “example-setter” and collaborator with coaches and teammates.
Nick Nurse has long prided himself on being a morning person.
Somebody the 76ers coach knows he can text — and get a response — at that time of day? LeBron James.
“He’s in here [at the facility] very early,” Nurse said, “and he’s got his set: straight to the weight room when he gets in, and then he’s into his skill work.”
That is a glimpse into how James still operates behind the scenes entering his 24th NBA season, all while the hubbub that has swirled around him for decades has now descended upon Philadelphia. As an all-time great and mainstream international celebrity, James has instantly transformed the Sixers into the subject of immense intrigue ahead of their Oct. 20 opening night. They have the most national television games allowed for one team. And skyrocketing ticket prices to step inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. And hovering daily media attention.
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In James’ words, it was a “final decision” to play the (likely) closing chapter of his legendary career here. It stemmed from his strong relationship with Tyrese Maxey, one of the league’s brightest young stars, and Olympics past with Joel Embiid, the polarizing former NBA Most Valuable Player. It became a realistic option when the Sixers pulled off a stunning trade for Jaylen Brown, an All-NBA wing and former champion and Finals MVP.
James’ choice was a monumental moment for Philly sports, and for a franchise with rich tradition but seeking its first NBA title since 1983. Where will the Sixers most feel James’ impact at this stage of his career, while aiming to leverage a new-look super team into legitimate contention in a suddenly deep Eastern Conference?
On the court, the 41-year-old can “do everything — literally,” he matter-of-factly reminded at media day last month. James hopes his historic experience and success — 22 consecutive All-Star teams, four MVP awards, and four championships with three different teams — can offer a “blueprint” on how he and the Sixers can climb the NBA’s mountaintop together.
“I’ve seen everything that this league has to offer, on the floor and off the floor,” James said. “I hope that, every single day, with my approach to the game, approach to the work, that it can translate to every single game.”
To be clear: Though on a two-year, $8 million veteran’s minimum contract (with a player option), James is not simply riding out the twilight of his career as a sage veteran mentor with oodles of advice to impart. Other iconic players from this era — Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and even former Sixer Kyle Lowry — have recently faded into retirement. James is still an All-Star-caliber player, averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Maintaining that level of consistent production and versatility starts with that early-morning routine, hours before teammates and staff converge for practice. After all, he has been playing in the NBA longer than 20-year-old Sixers rookie Labaron Philon Jr. — who said he is already eager to ask James about longevity — and 21-year-old starter VJ Edgecombe have been alive.
Mike Brown, the New York Knicks coach who led the Cleveland Cavaliers during James’ first stint, remembers a young James peppering big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas with questions about how to best take care of his body. Brown recently quipped that James has since used that advice to create a durability that is “not human.” Mike Gansey, the Sixers’ new president of basketball operations, also observed James’ diligence up close when they were both with the Cavaliers, saying there are “no superlatives or words you can say [to describe] what he does.” And there’s a reason why James and Maxey initially hit it off as workout partners since Maxey was preparing for the 2020 NBA draft.
“I hope I have a similar mindset as him,” Maxey said of James. “He’s worked for everything he’s gotten.”
Added Gansey: “The guy is the biggest professional I’ve ever seen. … Some of our guys are seeing that, obviously. It’s like, ‘Well, if LeBron’s the first one in here today, you know, what am I doing?”
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Since James’ official arrival at the Sixers’ facility in late September, Nurse has called him an “example-setter” and collaborator with coaches and teammates. Gansey has watched James dive on the floor for loose balls, fueling a competitive training camp. James consistently makes “extremely loud” defensive calls, Nurse added, or will stop the installation of an offensive play to fine-tune the minute details such as angles for passes and cuts. Reserve big man Jabari Walker said James has spoken up in multiple film sessions with suggestions on how to “earn each other’s trust” while running a play, and then how to switch up the action.
“He’s not talking just to talk,” Walker said. “Very direct, very meaningful, very impactful. And so he just commands the room. You see why LeBron is so respected, and why he’s done the things he’s done. …
“He always has a solution for everything. That’s the way I feel. Like, if I don’t know something, I’m going to ‘Bron.”
After an exciting Sixers offseason highlighted by the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, join Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Chris Hine for a preview of the season. Watch here.
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James also recognizes that his personality — and the potential outside distractions that will be “doubled and tripled and quadrupled now that I’m here” — may not fit every team. That reality — and whether blending him with the current state of the Sixers would be a “plus” or a “negative” — was at the heart of his summer predecision discussions with Maxey.
“I understand maybe some people can’t handle what I may bring to the table,” James said, “and I was just asking all the questions that I could ask to [Maxey].”
Maxey’s conclusion?
“That doesn’t really bother me, honestly,” Maxey said. “I’ve been blessed to play in Philadelphia for my entire career so far. I played at Kentucky. I’m kind of used to the noise.”
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That noise was already present during James’ free agency in July, when agent Rich Paul first included the Sixers on his infamous white board diagram. Since then, James’ helicopter commute between the Sixers’ practice facility in Camden and his New York City home has prompted paparazzi-style photographs. An anecdote shared by ESPN’s Mike Breen during the broadcast of the Sixers’ preseason opener against the Knicks — that James had called out Embiid for stepping on the practice floor a couple minutes late — became a multi-day story, with James refuting the report on social media and Breen issuing a public apology.
On the court, James has gently declined to publicly define his role among the star-studded starting lineup also featuring Maxey, Embiid, Brown, and Edgecombe. Perhaps James’ Oct. 8 preseason debut at the Brooklyn Nets provided a taste of the way he can facilitate on this roster, recording five first-half assists while only taking one shot.
He dished a kick-ahead pass and no-look bounce pass to Edgecombe in the opening minutes. And went over the top to Walker for an inside finish. And slung the ball to Maxey and Dean Wade for catch-and-shoot three-pointers.
“He almost throws it to you before you’re open or even know you’re open,” Wade said. “You get it and you turn and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m open.’ … You’ve always kind of got to have your head on a swivel and paying attention because, at any time, that thing could be coming to you.”
Still, James already cautioned that these Sixers will not be a basketball version of instant oatmeal.
He has experience with the initial bumps while linking with stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat, with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland, and with Anthony Davis with the Lakers. All of those teams won at least one championship, but not until James’ second season.
Veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who played with James with the Lakers and has reunited with him on the Sixers, expects James to spearhead mandatory off-the-court activities such as team dinners. Plane and bus rides must become an environment for camaraderie — and honest conversations that hold each other accountable, he said. James also emphasized the importance of “collective sacrifice” and in relishing the repetitiveness of the season’s grind.
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“That is the best way to expedite being great,” James said. “You have to fall in love with doing things [that are] uncomfortable. And if we can do that, we can be a great team. If we don’t do that, then we’ll be like, ‘Oh, man, that was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent and we lost in the second round.’
“I don’t want to do that. I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round. I know that, for sure, work needs to be done, and I’m ready to put the work in.”
That work begins early each morning, when he might receive a text from Nurse. It sets the blueprint for James in (likely) his final on-court stop. And for the Sixers, his newest team trying to climb to the NBA’s mountaintop.
“You hear ‘ultra professional. Ultra hard worker. Ultra leader. Lead by example,’” Nurse said. “You hear all that stuff, and you still — for me in the few days I’ve kind of been around him lately — [it’s] still really amazing to see, the level that he’s going on and he’s doing that. … It’s great from just a basketball purist’s standpoint, a striving to succeed and exceed and get better.
“It’s awesome to see the work ethic, the organization, the energy, the positivity, the leadership. It’s awesome to see it up close.”
