LeBron James must be a forgiving man after he finally made his NBA free agency decision on Friday.
James announced that he is joining the Philadelphia 76ers, where he will team up with a starting lineup that includes past All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
Brown was just acquired in a trade with the Boston Celtics earlier this month, but it becomes an interesting partnership with James considering Brown once publicly talked trash about James’ son Bronny James prior to Bronny’s NBA career starting with the Los Angeles Lakers.
During the 2024 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Brown was sitting courtside when cameras caught him being rather pessimistic about Bronny’s NBA future.
“I don’t think Bronny is a pro,” Brown said while talking to Kysre Gondrezick, a former WNBA player who Brown was rumored to be dating at the time, in 2024.
When Grondezick replied that she thought Bronny would end up on the Lakers’ G-League team instead of the official roster with LeBron, Brown said, “I hope so, but because of his name he’s gonna be with the Lakers.”
Since Brown’s comments made ahead of Bronny’s rookie season, it is hard to argue he was necessarily wrong.
In two seasons, Bronny, while playing 8.1 minutes per game, is averaging just 2.7 points, 1.1 assists and 0.6 rebounds over 69 games. If his last name was not James, it would at least be a debate about whether the Lakers would have given the second-round pick as many chances to prove himself.
Given his past criticism of Bronny, LeBron was asked about his current relationship with Brown during the NBA All-Star Weekend this past February.
“Our relationship has been pretty respectful,” James said while complimenting Brown’s performance during last season. “Besides the sh—t he said about Bronny at Summer League…but other than that we been alright.”
Now that they are teammates, it seems like LeBron and Brown are eager to play together and leave the past behind them.
Prior to LeBron’s final announcement, Brown was seen recruiting LeBron for Philadelphia when he appeared on a recent live stream with popular streamer IShowSpeed during a FIFA World Cup game.
“Throw the ball up,” Brown tweeted after James announced his final choice, indicating that he can’t wait for the NBA season to begin in October.
James, meanwhile, explained his decision to join the 76ers in a series of tweets.
“The last few weeks have really been special,” James said. “I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out.”
“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,” he explained.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.
“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!” James added.
