If you had stayed with Victor Wembanyama's disappointment and the Knicks' parade through New York in the middle of the Football World Cup. A lot of things, like every year, happened in the NBA offseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has finally left Milwaukee for Miami after months of speculation, but the summer earthquake is the signing of LeBron James with the Philadelphia Sixers. At 41 years old, the best scorer in the history of the North American league will not only experience his 24th season, but he intends to win the championship again.
Already crowned four times (Miami 2012 and 2013, Cleveland 2016, Lakers 2020), he could add a fifth ring to his collection and become the first NBA player to be crowned with four different franchises. By joining the Sixers, LeBron James gave himself the means to achieve his ambitions. The outgoing conference semifinalist seriously strengthened this summer while retaining its two best players: Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
A “sacrifice” for a fifth ring
Three weeks before the arrival of "King James", the five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown - Boston's best player (2nd in the regular season in the East last season) in the absence of Jayson Tatum - had already packed his bags in the "city of brotherly love" in exchange for a losing Paul George. Enough to propel Philadelphia, a franchise without a title since 1983, among the main contenders (pretenders for the coronation) this season. “He had the choice and he felt that it was the best option to win. Winning once again is his driving force,” analyzes Jacques Monclar, voice of basketball at beIN Sports.
If LeBron James had not agreed to sign a veteran minimum contract, his new team would not have been able to integrate him into a group that already has three big salaries without exploding the payroll. The one who received 53 million dollars the previous season with the Lakers will now receive around 4 million per season (8 million over two years). A financial “sacrifice” in his own words. He will also make daily round trips by helicopter from his home in New York.
"It's not negative [to talk about sacrifice]. If you want to achieve something rare, which is the case, it's positive. There are so many players in this league who have never sacrificed anything in their career, are averaging 20 or 22 points per game and have never won a playoff game," explained the Akron, Ohio native. LeBron James says he is ready to adapt to facilitate the play of a team made up of four stars accustomed to having the ball in their hands.
LeBron ready to play Swiss army knives
From the media day, at the end of September, the message was formulated very clearly by the person concerned: "For us to be a great team, we are going to have to do things that are not pleasant. If we don't do it, then we will say that we were a superb team on paper, that we had a lot of talent, but we will lose in the second round of the playoffs". Message received and validated by the leader Tyrese Maxey (25 years old), the youngest star of the collective: “If we are not ready to sacrifice ourselves, to work hard, it will not do it”.
“The advantage of my game is that I can do everything. Literally,” insisted LeBron James, who had agreed to hand over the reins to Luka Doncic at the Lakers. During the first pre-season outings, he took on responsibilities. His coach Nick Nurse also suggested that he could use him in a rather unusual role, that of pivot. After the serious injury of replacement pivot Ariel Hukporti last week, James was identified as a "candidate" to replace him, in a small-ball system (a game without a classic pivot, based on speed and outside skill).
LeBron James has not loudly proclaimed his ambition to be crowned next spring. The one who signed up for the next two seasons spoke of patience. But this caution will quickly disappear in the spring if the Sixers succeed in playing the leading roles in an exceptionally tough Eastern Conference. In the debate for the best player of all time, which constantly pits him against Michael Jordan, "LeBron" would only come one step short of "MJ's" six titles. Above all, he would accomplish what his elder never managed: win a title over 40 years old and lead four different franchises to the title.
