LeBron James, the NBA star, announced on Friday that he will play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season, in a move he hopes will turn another team into a champion. James, 41, a four-time league MVP, is one of the game's top stars, having won four titles in a 23-year career, the most recent with the Los Angeles Lakers, which he said earlier this month he would not return to for the 2026-2027 season. But James announced on June 30 that he would leave the Lakers as a free agent, sparking a wave of speculation about his next destination. James wrote on X: "I think I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team, and I am very excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey for the last time." The player nicknamed "King" led the Miami Heat to two league titles in 2013 and 2014, gave the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, the title in 2016, before leading the Lakers to the crown in 2020. He seeks to repeat that achievement, while his agent Rich Paul told ESPN it is a two-year deal worth $8 million. The NBA legend was considering several options, but he will join the 76ers, who acquired forward Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics, and also feature star center Joel Embiid and playmakers Tyrese Maxey and Bahamian VJ Edgecombe. Philadelphia reached the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons, but never advanced past the second round, losing this season to the New York Knicks, who later won the title. The 76ers last reached the NBA Finals in 2001 when they lost to the Lakers, and their last championship was in 1983 when Julius Erving led the team to a sweep of the Lakers in the finals.