Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
“Those older guys being able to teach us young players what we need to know, I feel like that’s a very important thing for me,” Philon said. “Just being a rookie and being able to be around all those guys is a privilege for me. You don’t get to see a rookie get to play with five guys that can potentially make an All-Star team [James, Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe]. I feel like you can learn every day, and every day you can compete against them to get better.”
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant said Saturday that LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers have the offensive firepower to compete for the 2027 NBA championship. What's more, Durant evoked his two Golden State Warriors championship teams, which also featured Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, when praising the combined scoring prowess of Philadelphia's James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. "The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on," Durant said at a USA Basketball event Saturday. "[The 76ers] have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they're going to be a contender. They're going to be a fun team to watch. It's going to be League Pass-worthy."
What was your reaction to James joining the Sixers? Assistant coach #1: “I’m shocked. He’s already experienced teaming up with talent before. But it’s a real risky move as far as trying to get Maxey, Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, Embiid and himself to co-exist and be on the same page. This isn’t fantasy basketball. It’s not that easy. He knows that.” Assistant coach #2: “I don’t think their championship fortunes change just because they got LeBron. They already had a solid team. But getting LeBron probably helps them more with motivating other people on the team by example. But as far as the team itself before he went there, they were still in good shape to be a solid team. I don’t know if they were a championship team. And I don’t know still if they’re a championship team with LeBron.”
How do you see LeBron and Embiid working? Assistant coach #1: “It’s scary. It can be unstoppable. Or it can be hard to watch. They’re both slow and old. When you get tired and you drain the clock and are methodical and just isoing with brute force when you’re not young, spry and athletic, that can look awful. Everyone is just standing around. And then you end up falling down because you’re old.”
Shaquille O'Neal: "The person I feel sorry for is Tyrese Maxey. He came in a regular guy, Joel Embiid was hurt most of the year, Tyrese rose up like, 'Hey, I'm the star, this is my team.' Now you bring Jaylen Brown in, is he going to take a step back? And not only that, you bring LeBron in, is he going to take another step back? Now Joel comes in shape and he wants to play, he's going to have to revert back to just being a regular guy, and will that affect him? Because he was starting to make a name for himself. I think he made the All-Star team, he was a star, and sometimes one or two people on the team is going to have to defer. Defer to who? I don't know, whether defer to Jaylen, defer to LeBron, defer to Embiid, I don't know."
Advertisement
Channing Frye: "Nick Nurse, one thing that's not taking into consideration is Nick Nurse is a beast. And so when you add all these personalities to a team, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, you know, Bron, VJ Edgecombe, you know, Jaylen Brown, you need a coach that can handle all that that's going to put them in the right situation. A lot of them, everyone's going to talk about usage rate, but Nick Nurse made it work in Toronto with, you know, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard."
James’s Sixers are expected to get the maximum 34 national game telecasts/streams across Disney’s ABC/ESPN, NBCUniversal’s NBC Sports/Peacock, and Amazon’s Prime Video during the upcoming NBA season, say sources. That would more than double the 14 national games that Joel Embiid’s team was featured in during the 2025-6 campaign.
Shams Charania: "Jaylen Brown was 100% supportive of this move of getting LeBron James. To my knowledge, those two guys didn't speak during the process, but Jaylen Brown did have communication with Rich Paul during the process to let Rich Paul know that, 'Hey, I want LeBron here. This is someone I want to play with.' And so, those guys will eventually have their own conversation, LeBron and Jaylen will, and get on the same page. There will be plenty of opportunity for them to do so. But I think the big thing that I hear around the Sixers organization right now is sacrifice. When you think about scoring, you look at Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, on any given night, 1A, 1B. Joel Embiid is right up there as well, 1A, 1B, 1C. Either of those guys can lead this team in scoring on any given night. VJ Edgecombe can be a breakout on any given night. And then you look at LeBron James, and in a lot of ways, he's setting the table for everyone."
Advertisement
Jake Chipper: Shams Charania on NBA Today: "The Sixers are expecting LeBron James to play a good amount of time at the point guard position... Think of a better player that can set the table for Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid & VJ Edgecombe. There's all these players that can score, that can get the ball from LeBron"
NBA Trade Machine: 13.3% of trades built on HoopsMatic over the past 24 hours involved Stephen Curry. Of his trades, the most common landing spots were Philadelphia (21.7%), San Antonio (20.8%), and Boston (12.7%), while the most common return players were De'Aaron Fox (19.9%), Joel Embiid (16.3%), and VJ Edgecombe (12.2%).
"I am thrilled to welcome LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers. One of the greatest players in NBA history and one of the best athletes ever, his accomplishments are iconic: four-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time Olympic Gold medalist, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record 22 All-Star selections, and 21 All-NBA selections,” Managing Partner Josh Harris said. “I cannot wait to see LeBron alongside Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and our talented roster as we work to deliver a championship for Philly. To LeBron and his family: we are grateful you chose the 76ers, and look forward to this next chapter of your legendary career. Welcome to the 76ers!"
James has long admired Embiid's talent and basketball IQ, sources close to him said. But like many in the league, he had questions about Embiid's durability.
