Sports
LeBron James Gives Philadelphia 76ers Instant Title Expectations
One of the more polarizing players in NBA history is also one of the offseason’s bargain-basement deals as LeBron James took his talents somewhere new last week.
James is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and the opinions of his free-agent deal arrived in a blur. The bulk of the conjecture seems to center on there not being enough basketballs for all the players on the 76ers’ roster who will want to get their hands the one that is available.
If there is one thing basketball fans seem adept at, it is giving their opinion on James’ business.
Ranking James behind Michael Jordan on the imaginary list of best players of all time seems to be an equal part Jordan compliment as it is a James condemnation.
Watching James pass the ball to a wide-open teammate in the closing seconds earns scorn. Seeing James miss the final shot in a close game is somehow proof he is a fraud.
So the idea that James is headed to “The City of Brotherly Love” and expected to cause a family feud is so predictable.
Every move somehow has a deeper meaning. Every statement gets twisted. If James is doing that, this is what it really means.
A popular take is that the move to Philadelphia came about because James is such an alpha male that he wanted out of his Los Angeles Lakers partnership with another one in Luka Doncic.
The reality is that James is going to a team with more of them in Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey. Then there is the high ceiling of VJ Edgecombe, who promises to be a pack leader himself one day.
Perhaps none of them rank as the kind of pure scorer and ball distributor that Doncic has become. But the idea that James found a talented team where he will now take charge is preposterous.
James is good friends with Maxey, was personally recruited by Embiid, according to reports, and knows exactly what Brown is all about. As for Edgecombe, he might be in the most beneficial spot of all.
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves came into his own with James at his side to become an unlikely NBA star. Reaves went undrafted out of college and was averaging at least 20 points with nearly six assists by his age 26 season.
Edgecombe has a massive head start on Reaves as a third overall draft pick, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season. James could help his growth even more, assuming the ball makes its way around the perimeter on a nightly basis.
Does James need the ball to make this work? Absolutely.
Does he need to score 20 points per game? Hardly.
If there is a James skill that will serve the Sixers best, it is with ball-distribution abilities. Maxey is the unquestioned point guard of the group, but James’ ability to find open teammates is a proven skill.
And James is ready to show the entire package at just $3.9 million in 2026-27 and a shade over $4 million in 2027-28. Adding James on a veteran minimum salary is what had suitors like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat so disappointed he chose to go elsewhere.
Yes, James’ teams transitions over the years have been somewhat messy, but that’s what comes with the territory when an all-time great is available. The initial move to Miami was clunky at best.
This time around, the Heat seemed especially irked at a failed reunion, while not getting a chance to pair James with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry accepted his team’s fate by claiming he didn’t imagine what a team in the Bay Area would like with James running the floor with the group. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but we’ll take Curry at his word.
To make it all work for whatever team James picked will be a run of good health, all as James turns 42 in December. And then there is the injury history of Embiid that will have to improve for the Sixers to build on all this optimism.
James has played 70 games of an 82-game season just twice in the past eight campaigns. He played 60 games last season as the old-man jokes were flying when he opened the schedule on the bench with sciatica.
That James’ move to a contender has eyes rolling is far from a surprise. He has a way of striking a nerve, and when he seems to not care about anybody’s opinion, it only exacerbates that energy.
From this vantagepoint, anything less than the Eastern Conference finals would seem like a disappointment for the Sixers. Fans in Philadelphia are certainly aiming higher.
One thing that is sure is that Sixers games will now take on a must-see element all around the league.
Sports
Reds place Spencer Steer (wrist) on 10-day IL
Jul 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Spencer Steer (7) is checked on by Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) and training staff during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images The Cincinnati Reds placed versatile infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a right wrist sprain.
Steer was injured while making an awkward swing on Sunday when facing St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy in the fifth inning. He fouled off the pitch and began shaking the hand.
A trainer and Reds manager Terry Francona had a conversation with Steer before the decision was made to have Edwin Arroyo finish the at-bat. Arroyo lined out and replaced Steer in the field at second base.
Steer, 28, is batting .238 with 16 homers and 40 RBIs in 98 games. He has started 27 games at first base, 26 in left field, 23 in right field, 14 at second base and two in center field.
Steer is in his fifth season with the Reds. He has 82 homers, 301 RBIs and a .242/.327/.739 slash line in 586 career games.
Steer has been rumored to be a possible trade candidate ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
Cincinnati recalled infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. He went 0-for-5 in four games with the Reds earlier this season.
The Reds host the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night in the first of a three-game set.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sixers give 'King James' royal welcome to Philadelphia
Feb 5, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the 2026 postseason, superstar LeBron James wrote that he was “done,” but on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers officially welcomed the four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion into the fold.
James, who turns 42 in December, signed a two-year deal worth $8 million to join a star-studded Sixers roster that includes former MVP Joel Embiid, former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, All-Star Tyrese Maxey and Rookie of the Year runner-up VJ Edgecombe.
The NBA’s all-time scoring leader, James will enter his 24th season with the goal of helping the Sixers win their first title since 1983. Like the Lakers, the Sixers were bounced in the second round, falling to the eventual champion New York Knicks. Philadelphia has not advanced past the second round since 2001.
“I cannot wait to see LeBron alongside Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and our talented roster as we work to deliver a championship for Philly,” team owner Josh Harris said.
Despite his age, James remains one of the league’s best players, coming off a season when he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds over 60 games. Over his 23 seasons, the 22-time All-Star has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 1,622 games.
“There is no doubt LeBron is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball and there are no words to measure the impact he’ll have on this organization,” team president Mike Gansey said.
Among James’ numerous accolades, he is a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. He is also the first player to earn NBA Finals MVP honors with three teams (Lakers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers).
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, James played seven seasons before taking his talents to South Beach with the Heat, winning his first two NBA titles in Miami. He went back home to Cleveland and helped end a 56-year title drought in 2016. In 2018, he joined the Lakers and led them to a championship in 2020.
James and Gansey, who have ties going back to their Ohio high school basketball days in 2001, will reunite in Philadelphia. Gansery took over GM duties after Daryl Morley was fired in May.
Gansey, who starred at Olmsted Falls High School, was runner-up for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2001 to James, who won the award three times at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School before going straight to the NBA in 2003.
“I have had the pleasure of knowing LeBron since high school and have seen the high-level impact he’s produced at every stop of his basketball journey,” Gansey said. “He is a consummate professional, the ultimate competitor and a tireless worker. But he is also an incredible person with natural leadership traits, a family man, and someone who possesses unwavering commitment to community and those around him.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Injured A's prospect Ryan Lasko regaining feeling in legs
Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Ryan Lasko during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko said Monday that he has regained some feeling in his legs nearly four weeks after he broke his back during a scary collision with a teammate during a Double-A game.
Lasko, 24, was playing center field for Midland on June 30 when he dove for a ball and collided with right fielder Devin Taylor, who also dove. Lasko laid motionless on the field for approximately 10 minutes before being carted off.
Lasko underwent spinal surgery later that night at a hospital in Plano, Texas to repair a fractured C6-C7 vertebra. Doctors were hopeful he would regain movement in the lower half of his body and Lasko said Monday that is occurring.
“I’m currently feeling much better,” Lasko wrote on Instagram. “I have sensation from my feet up to my knees, along with a lot of involuntary leg movements. I also have been getting some sensation in the side of my thighs, hamstrings and back. I currently have about 75% usage of my left hand and about 50% in my right.
“I’m very happy with my progress and once again, so very thankful for all the love and support. It has continued to help me get up every day and work my hardest.”
Lasko was a second-round pick out of Rutgers in 2023 and is rated as the Athletics’ No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline, dropping from No. 18 the day he was hurt. He is batting .209 with six homers and 34 RBIs in 73 games this season.
–Field Level Media
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Reds place Spencer Steer (wrist) on 10-day IL
