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:
“Most important is I want to compete, compete at a high level. I want to join a franchise that follows the same motto as myself. And that’s practicing championship habits every day, but trusting the process more than anything. You trust the process of actually getting to that level.”
*Crowd erupts*
“I’ve been saying ‘trust the process’ since I was drafted in 2003. I don’t know if [Joel] Embiid was even born yet. Y’all always think I’m… So OK, we got trust the process, then if we get to a place where it’s real sunny, or… Oh, Miami?”
*Crowd erupts again*
“But seriously, the process is what’s most important, because if you just fully immerse yourself in that, then the outcome will take care of itself. If you’re already worried about the championship, or you’re already worried about the playoffs, already worried about what lies ahead, then you will skip steps along that journey.
“Being with a franchise, being with a group of guys that kinda has the same motto. It’s been eight straight years of different champions, so everyone feels coming into the season, ‘this could be our year.’ Every fan base feels like this could be our year as well. Being with a team that has that same motto that we gotta put the work in right here in September, October, and then what happens down the road happens.”
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.
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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.”