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
Report: NBA to max out LeBron James, 76ers' national TV games
May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Fans itching to watch LeBron James play in his new Philadelphia uniform should get plenty of opportunities this season as the 76ers are expected to get the NBA’s maximum of 34 national game telecasts/streams, Front Office Sports reported Monday.
That would more than double the 14 national games the Sixers were featured in last season, when the team led by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey finished in a disappointing seventh place in the Eastern Conference at 45-37.
Now that the 41-year-old James has signed a two-year, $8 million contract to play in Philly, viewers can expect to see him featured prominently during tentpole league events like opening week and Christmas Day’s five-game slate.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on July 16 he was awaiting James’ decision before finalizing the schedule for the telecasts/streams across Disney’s ABC/ESPN, NBCUniversal’s NBC Sports/Peacock, and Amazon’s Prime Video. The league receives input from these partners before making the final schedule.
Four teams received the maximum 34 national games last season: the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, who play in the league’s biggest market; the Los Angeles Lakers in the No. 2 market; the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder; and four-time champion Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tony Romo withdraws from golf event in wake of OWI arrest
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, now an NFL broadcast analyst for CBS, watches his tee shot off No. 11 during the OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship pro-am Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at Metamora Fields Golf Club in Metamora. Tony Romo withdrew from an upcoming golf tournament in the wake of his arrest last week in Wisconsin for allegedly operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS Sports analyst had been scheduled to play in the Texas State Open starting Tuesday in Tyler, Texas.
The Cascades Country Club confirmed to NBC affiliate KETK-TV that Romo, who has played in the event nine times, has pulled out of the tournament.
An avid golfer, Romo has won the celebrity American Century Golf Tournament three times.
The 46-year-old was stopped last Thursday evening on Interstate 43 and “performed poorly” on standardized field sobriety tests, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office’s arrest report.
He was taken into custody and booked before being released. He has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21.
A first-offense OWI is generally a civil offense, not a criminal charge, in Wisconsin, with a citation typically carrying a fine between $150-$300.
Romo is a native of nearby Burlington, Wis., where he was the first Burlington High School student-athlete to be named all-state in three sports: football, basketball, and golf. His high school football team, the Burlington Demons, plays on a field that was named Tony Romo Field in 2020.
Romo has been the lead NFL game analyst at CBS since 2017, paired with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson to cover games.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 out of Eastern Illinois, Romo spent the next 14 seasons with the Cowboys. He became their starting quarterback in 2006 and led Dallas to six playoff games.
A four-time Pro Bowler, he holds a 78-49 record in 156 regular-season games (127 starts). He had a career 65.3% completion rate, amassing 34,183 yards with 248 touchdowns and 117 interceptions.
–Field Level Media
Sports
FIFA prez Gianni Infantino blasts critics for 'spreading hate'
President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino present the World Cup Trophy to Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. FIFA president Gianni Infantino rejected scrutiny of his leadership and the organization, accusing critics of “spreading hate and false rumors” while they were “delivering the best show in the world,” minimizing or altogether ignoring issues that arose with the 2026 World Cup.
His message was delivered across 15 slides on his personal Instagram account, cross-posted to the FIFA Instagram account and distributed to media personnel by FIFA’s communications team.
Infantino’s message said, “We experienced no violence, no incidents, 100% safety and security, only joy and happiness!”
There were multiple issues with some teams and fans gaining access to the tournament. Four countries — Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast — played their matches despite many supporters being unable to enter the United States because of travel bans imposed by the Trump administration.
Iran’s team captain Mehdi Taremi called the World Cup a “disaster” due to the restrictions on visas and movement for members of its federation.
Infantino’s message also ignored the four people who died of suffocation during celebrations in Mexico City after Mexico’s round-of-32 victory over Ecuador, per The Athletic.
The message from Infantino, who has not held a press conference since before the World Cup began, also made a dismissive apparent reference to the significant controversy when U.S. forward Folarin Balogun had an automatic one-game ban reversed. FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the sanction with no explanation, and President Donald Trump later said he called Infantino to have the case reviewed, which Infantino denied.
“Your dissatisfaction with a few decisions made by the competent authorities is understandable, but please refer to public records: such decisions are common in some of the most important leagues,” Infantino posted. “Indeed, ‘arguable’ referees’ decisions or ‘strange’ disciplinary rulings such as for instance potentially mistaken red or yellow cards or subsequent decisions not to ban players in certain situations are routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide.”
Among other issues faced before, during and since the 2026 World Cup, the Attorneys General of New York, New Jersey, Texas and California are investigating FIFA over its ticketing prices for the tournament.
–Field Level Media
Report: NBA to max out LeBron James, 76ers' national TV games
Tony Romo withdraws from golf event in wake of OWI arrest
