Philadelphia is now officially under the rule of King James. And his newly minted subjects, it seems, couldn’t be happier.
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LeBron James, the legendary NBA player and one of the most famous humans on the planet, is coming to Philly after having agreed to a two-year contract with the Sixers on Friday. The move, though one of the more improbable roster additions in franchise history, is real — and officially commemorated at the highest levels of state government.
“Pennsylvania is honored to welcome LeBron James to our Commonwealth as he joins the Philadelphia 76ers for his best season yet,” Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a proclamation declaring Friday, July 24, 2026, as LeBron James Day. The day, he added, would honor James’ “bright future in Philadelphia,” among other achievements and anticipations.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker likewise welcomed the news, writing in a statement that the city would welcome James “into our One Philly Family with open arms and electric energy.”
“Trust me when I say: We are rolling out the welcoming mat starting Day One!” Parker said. “We cannot wait to see you shine on the court.”
Though months away from that debut on the court as a Sixer, James’ arrival to the team prompted a flurry of shock and support from fans and players alike, with seemingly every local establishment, institution, and celebrity offering a meme or message of disbelief. In fact, Philly’s pro athletes seemed among the most excited about James coming to town.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, for example, almost immediately extended a golf invite to James after the news broke, asking via social media when the forthcoming Sixer wanted to “tee up.” Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey had a more primal reaction, simply posting a video of him screaming in excitement in a gym.
James himself, meanwhile, was more staid in explaining his decision via social media. After nearly two-dozen seasons in the NBA, James wrote, he thought he was done playing, but decided he continued to love the game and had more to give.
“I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,” James wrote. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.”
Some Sixers fans were beside themselves, with at least one ordering a Chantilly cake from Whole Foods to celebrate. Lydia Victor, a Northeast Philly graphic designer and sports content creator, had the bakery write “Trust the Process 23” in red frosting on top of the confection, and planned to cut it later in the day with her father, who went to college in Ohio, and is James’ biggest fan, she said.
Whether a James-led Sixers squad can actually win a championship was almost inconsequential Friday, though Victor already was designing plans to celebrate on Broad Street. The fact that James chose Philadelphia brought her more happiness than a championship (or potentially getting married or having kids) might. She likened the moment to Meredith Grey’s iconic monologue in the TV show Grey’s Anatomy imploring Derek Shepherd to choose her.
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“It’s just the mindset that Philly isn’t always considered a big market and the national media usually counts us out when it comes to acquiring big-name free agents,” she said. But this time, things were different.
“We were picked!” she said.
Darnell Butts, 56, said there’s no way the Sixers would have landed James had former general manager Daryl Morey still been in charge. Butts was optimistic about the Sixers’ championship chances, and excited for the team’s younger stars to learn from a player he calls the greatest of all time. Butts said he wants to welcome James in Philly fashion.
“Get a Philly cheesesteak, it’s on Darnell Butts. Meet me at Reading Terminal,” he said.
The historic nature of the day was seemingly reflected in professional sports’ enduring fan barometer — merchandise sales. By early Friday afternoon, Fanatics said it was already sold out of some Sixers-branded James jerseys.
Within two hours of the news breaking, all first editions of the No. 23 jerseys were sold out on the Fanatics website. The adult royal blue, white, and red Swingman premium jerseys had been selling for $124.99, in line with the price of similar jerseys for other Sixers stars. Youth jerseys had also been available to preorder for $69.99.
Fanatics was also selling James’ 2026-2027 Topps trading card, the one he signed and posted on Instagram after announcing his decision to come to Philly. The cards were selling for between $11.99 for a single card and $169.99 for a 20-pack. Fanatics acquired Topps in 2022.
The company planned to add additional James merchandise in short order Friday.
July 24, however, would live on as a historic date, some fans said.
Raymond Davis took the train into 30th Street Station to play basketball at Schuylkill River Park. Before leaving his home in Mount Airy, he put on his Tyrese Maxey jersey to hoop in — not knowing James would sign with his favorite team shortly after.
Davis met up with a few friends on the way to Schuylkill River Park. One of them, Christopher Gaines, was just as excited as Davis and ready to write the day down in history books.
“The king of basketball’s coming to Philly — the city of sports — and this is like a great day, a great moment,” Davis said. “You know what? July 24, I will always remember as ‘King Bron Day’ — the day LeBron came to Philly.”
Staff writers Gabriela Carroll, Erin McCarthy, Gina Mizell, Matt Mullin, and Andrea Padilla contributed to this article.
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