LeBron James made his first public appearance as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday for the team's media day. Seeing James donning a Sixers jersey was a surreal moment, one few expected at the beginning of free agency when he announced he was leaving the Lakers. And it's a moment that wouldn't have happened if not for a few key dominoes falling.
The Sixers' Jaylen Brown trade is a significant one, as the Sixers' acquisition of the star wing opened James' eyes to the possibility of Philly being a place he could win a championship. The New York Knicks winning a title in June. The Knicks' drought-ending title ended up eliminating James' preferred free agency destination, he confirmed Monday.
And it also provided him a reminder of what he wanted to do for another city: break a lengthy championship drought. Earlier this offseason James' agent Rich Paul made it clear that had the Knicks not won the title, they would've been James' preferred destination, something LeBron confirmed on Monday. "I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden," James told ESPN on Monday.
"One of the best places I've ever played. "I think it's the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, 'Hey, I can't.' I couldn't do it." James knows the perils of being seen as a frontrunner firsthand, as it took him years to shed the villain tag associated with his decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat 16 years ago.
He wasn't about to let his career end on a similar note and took the Knicks off his list the moment they hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy. "Y'all wouldn't have let me lay that down at all," James said. "But much respect to the Knicks, obviously.
An unbelievable team, unbelievable players. I love that guy, he's unbelievable. But, yeah, I'm happy where I'm at, and I'm looking forward to it." The Knicks winning a title only added to the anxiety in Philadelphia about their own championship drought that's now extended to 43 years, but it also led to the Sixers landing James and giving Philly its best chance (at least on paper) to win a title in years.
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