Top News

LeBron James ‘trusts the process,’ but that doesn’t guarantee he’s joining 76ers
Sandy Verma | July 18, 2026 10:24 AM CST

NBA fans are desperate for any clues about LeBron James’ next team and are listening very closely to every word he says during his various public appearances this week.

As his drawn-out free agency saga continues, James made another appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday for a live taping of “The Shop.” At one point, James was asked what he will value in his new team and he used “trust the process” — an infamous Philadelphia 76ers slogan — in his answer, which the crowd took as a hint about his plans.

James quickly shut them down, however, saying that he’s been using that phrase since he was drafted. He then started trolling the crowd.

Here are his full comments:

The 76ers are reportedly one of the final suitors for James, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves. Notably, the Sixers were one of the inner circle teams on Rich Paul’s famous whiteboard, and there was even a star next to Tyrese Maxey’s name — no other player was highlighted in that way.

Rich Paul breaks down LeBron James’ free agency: What The King’s agent said about 10 teams in the hunt

Robby Kalland

Paul, James’ longtime friend and agent, said that everything changed after the Sixers traded Paul George for Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster deal earlier this summer. James “loves Maxey,” Paul said, adding that Jameer Nelson and Mike Gansey being in Philadelphia’s front office helped.

Gansey, who was hired as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations earlier this year, finished as the runner-up to James for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2001 and served as the assistant general manager in Cleveland during the final season of James’ second run with the Cavaliers.

“If he decides to come here, we’re going to be even better,” Gansey told The Athletic earlier this month. “We’ve had conversations with (agent) Rich (Paul), really since the Jaylen trade. LeBron and his camp have kept quiet, and there has been speculation for different teams. But we’d obviously love to have LeBron. I respect the heck out of him. In my opinion, he’s the best player of all time. I think his decision is dragging out because he has a lot of good options and he wants to figure it out. He would obviously add a lot to our team. But at the end of the day, I know he’s going to make the right decision for him and his family.”


READ NEXT
Cancel OK