Why LeBron James picking 76ers is far from safe choice

Joining the 76ers is LeBron James’ next big risk in a career full of them

Now that James is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, some people view it as the easy choice to win another championship, but it couldn’t be further from the case. For starters, Philadelphia hasn’t brought home a championship since 1983, one year before James was even born, so winning a title is far from being a guarantee.

Not only will winning a championship be extremely difficult, but the players teaming up to do it are some of the most polarizing players in the sport. 76ers center Joel Embiid has been relentlessly bashed over his career for never advancing to the conference finals and for his flopping, which is viewed as a cheap way to play and to earn points.

When you move down the line to All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown, he’s been dealing with people downplaying his abilities his entire career. He always seemed to be cast in former teammate Jayson Tatum’s shadow on the Boston Celtics and has been ripped to shreds in the media this offseason.

Brown has been called the “seventh-best player on a team,” as well as someone who isn’t a top-50 player in the NBA. Despite winning a championship and Finals MVP in 2024 and having an MVP-caliber year this past season, his ability remains a heavy topic of debate.

LeBron James’ 76ers tenure could be a defining period of his legacy

James, Brown and Embiid are three of the most contentious players in the league, so this was far from the safe pick for the four-time champion. If he doesn’t at least get to the NBA Finals during his potential two seasons in Philadelphia, this part of his career will objectively be a disappointment.

He could have gone back home to have one final ride in the sunset without all the expectations that joining the 76ers brings. However, he went off the beaten path once again and joined a city starving for a championship, where the expectations are still high and the personalities on the team are larger than life. Philadelphia was far from a safe pick — it actually may be the destination with the biggest risk, but it could also offer the best reward.