The Philadelphia 76ers are emerging as one of the strongest contenders for LeBron James, and former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers believes there is one simple reason why.
Myers explained why he thinks Philadelphia gives James the best opportunity to compete for another championship. His comments come after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Sixers are among the three leading contenders for James and that the four-time NBA champion is taking Philadelphia’s pitch “really seriously.”
“If you’re talking about the Sixers, if he was here, I would say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win,'” Myers said appearing on the Game Over podcast alongside Rich Paul and Max Kellerman.
“You have to decide all the other things that are equally important, because it’s his life. He has to play, he has to face the scrutiny of his decision. Half the people will say, ‘You should have done this, you should have done that.’ They’ll criticize him for whatever, which is his life, so he’s been through all that.
“What I would just say is, if it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team. Because you can win here, in Philadelphia. If you want to talk about other stuff: What’s this guy like, what’s that guy like — by the way, he knows players, a lot of them better than I do. Their games — this is a guy that probably watches more basketball than anybody understands. He’s probably watching a game in February that nobody’s watching. So not only does he know the guys, he knows how they play.”
Philadelphia’s case has only strengthened after acquiring five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown this offseason, creating a roster that many around the league believe is built to contend immediately.
Charania said that changed the conversation surrounding James’ free agency.
“When I talk to teams around the league, when I do my research, the teams that continue to come up are Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia after they got Jaylen Brown,” Charania said.
“So when the Sixers got Jaylen Brown, I did some research, and I found out within 24 hours [that] he’s taking their pitch really seriously.”