LeBron James reveals five teams on his list - Knicks disqualified themselves

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of five teams that NBA superstar LeBron James said he seriously considered after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. There was initially a sixth team in the running - but it disqualified itself due to too much success: the New York Knicks, who prevailed against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals.

"I imagined playing at Madison Square Garden and finishing my career at the Garden. It's one of the best places I've ever played," the NBA superstar said at his new team's media day. "I think this is the No. 1 arena in the world for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, it was a can't do it. I couldn't do it," James said. James reported before his 24th season in the NBA that he also worked with the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 41-year-old will meet Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and his good friend Tyrese Maxey at the 76ers, whom he credits with playing a key role in the decision to choose Philadelphia. “I talked to him a lot and he was a deciding factor,” said James. He came to the 76ers to win. He wants to help the professionals there win the NBA title themselves. James won the championship twice with the Miami Heat and once each with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

What his role will be with the 76ers is still unclear. “Whatever the team needs from me,” said James, who will also wear number 23 in Philadelphia. "The luxury in my game is that I can do anything. Really, I can take on anything."

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has made it clear to his former club that it would be no problem for him to take over the position left vacant by LeBron's move as the Los Angeles Lakers' leading player and clear star.

He is looking forward to taking on the biggest responsibility of his basketball career to date. "It's like a new challenge. I like challenges. I wouldn't say I feel different, but I would say I feel honored," Doncic said.

The Slovenian superstar has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him off the court while James led the Lakers to the second round of the playoffs. The 27-year-old hasn't played in an NBA game since April 2, and he took it slow with his recovery over the summer to ensure he wouldn't have any limitations when training camp began - knowing the newly formed Lakers had a lot of work to do in a short period of time.

He understands and embraces the international importance of being the face of the Lakers' global brand. But he also knows that this special team must quickly develop its own identity after the departure of the best scorer in NBA history and several regular players.