If you have been following the LeBron James’ free agency saga, you have probably tuned into or read about Game Over — a podcast hosted by James’ agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
It was on Game Over that Paul first confirmed the 76ers as a possible destination for the four-time NBA champion. It was on Game Over that Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president Bob Myers made a direct pitch for James to join the Sixers. Now, it’s on Game Over that Paul — one of the closest people to James — explains James’ rationale for signing with Philadelphia.
Here are four things we learned from Friday’s episode:
How long has it been Philly?
The conversation started with Game Over cohost Max Kellerman asking Paul how long James had known he was signing with the Sixers before the announcement was public.
“He just decided on it, 100%” Paul said, adding that the competition was “pretty layered across the board.”
Later in the episode, Paul commented on the difficulties of the decision and said, “how hard it is to go away from a Miami and go away from a Cleveland, and who wouldn’t want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green?”
From Paul’s comments, conspiracy theorists seemingly can rule out James’ previous “trust the process” comments at Fanatics Fest as confirmation that his mind was made up last week.
What were James’ deciding factors?
On Friday, after ESPN first reported James would be signing with the Sixers, the all-time great took to social media to release a statement. James cited the “chance at the feeling of winning another championship” as his main motivation for coming to Philadelphia.
“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,” James wrote on X.
I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026
Paul expanded on James’ reasoning on Game Over and said it was a “love for the game decision.”
Read more Phillies players react to LeBron James’ decision to play for Sixers: ‘Really cool for the city’
“Nobody at this level is this accomplished, this successful at life, still wanting to play the game. I don’t know what else you can say about it besides someone being very obsessed with the game of basketball,” Paul said.
A big question around James’ decision was whether his family life, rooted solidly in Los Angeles, would play any role in where he landed. Paul also addressed how James’ family factored into him signing with Philadelphia.
“Yeah the distance, that plays a huge role,” Paul said. “I think he talked about it, just being just so far away. I think it’s a testament to what his family has always meant to him and how they supported him in understanding just his love for the game.”
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What does Paul think about the basketball fit?
James is expected to slip into the Sixers’ four spot with relative ease. Last season, wing Jaylen Brown (then with the Celtics) and point guard Tyrese Maxey finished fourth and fifth in points per game, respectively. With two ball-dominant players — and a former MVP in Joel Embiid when healthy — James could take on a complementary role at 41 years old.
Paul sees James as the “secondary playmaker” on the team behind Maxey and said that “if he’s your secondary playmaker, you have the best secondary playmaker in the league.” He also sees some potential pick-and-roll action in the future for James and Maxey, similar to how James played alongside All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Similarly, he feels that James can help elevate sophomore guard VJ Edgecombe’s game.
“When you talk about a guy like VJ Edgecombe, [James] definitely helps him because when you’re so athletic, you tend to lean on that a lot.” he said. “But in VJ.’s case, really honing in and being efficient [is important]. When you add a LeBron, everything changes.”
Did Joel Embiid’s health play a factor?
Like any decision involving the Sixers, Embiid’s health could be a factor in James’ deliberations in signing with them. Embiid has played just 96 games in the three seasons since raising the MVP trophy. However, Paul seemed optimistic about the big man’s current status.
“I don’t want to be too hard on Embiid, but you have to think about all those things,” Paul said. “And from my understanding, Embiid is doing a hell of a job this summer. It’s the first summer he’s actually been healthy, not having some type of surgery over the summer, which is always good. And, look, anybody knows if Embiid is your best player on the team, you’re a really good team. If he’s your second-best player on the team, you’re an unbelievably good team. If he’s your third-best player on the team, this is basically the U.S. [team].