LeBron James Agrees to Two-Year, $8 Million Deal With the Philadelphia 76ers

Key Points

• LeBron James is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option with the 76ers.
• ESPN's Shams Charania reported it, citing agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.
• The move ends James's Lakers tenure after eight seasons; he is 41.
• The $8 million total sits far below the maximum his service time allows.

LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal that includes a player option, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on July 24, citing Klutch Sports Group and agent Rich Paul. The move sends the 41-year-old to Philadelphia after he informed the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month that he would move on after eight seasons.

The deal

The contract is a two-year agreement worth roughly $8 million with a player option, per Charania — a figure far below the maximum James's 23 years of service would command, in what will be his 24th NBA season. The player option gives him a path back to free agency after year one. James spent the back half of the offseason weighing his options after the Lakers agreed he could leave, with the 76ers reported by ESPN among the teams in the mix after their Jaylen Brown addition.

Leaving the Lakers

James arrived in Los Angeles in 2018 and won the 2020 championship with the Lakers, spending eight seasons with the franchise before this summer's split. His departure had been telegraphed since Rich Paul told ESPN in early July that James would leave, a break that also drew interest from other contenders — the Golden State Warriors had planned to pursue him alongside a move for Anthony Davis.

In Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, James joins a core led by Joel Embiid that added forward Jaylen Brown this offseason. The player option means the partnership is guaranteed for only one season unless both sides want more, an unusually short commitment for a player of James's stature.

With James off the board, the Warriors re-signed Draymond Green to a one-year, $27.7 million deal — essentially the same contract he had opted out of to help clear room for the James pursuit.

Source: Shams Charania / ESPN.