LeBron James will not join the Nuggets, headed to Philadelphia

The LeBron James to the Denver Nuggets dream is dead.

Not that it’s really felt alive over the last couple of weeks.

But that became official on Friday morning when James announced he’s signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

James will join Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown as he attempts to win a championship with a fourth franchise to end his legendary NBA career.

this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.

The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026

another championship.

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.  

Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!

🙏🏾🫡👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026

It sounds like LeBron James seriously considered retirement, but thinks he has more to give to the game of basketball.

He picked the 76ers, but also showed love to his former teams in the Lakers, Heat and Cavaliers. Miami and Cleveland were possible destinations, but James ultimately chose Philly. Denver and the Nuggets were not mentioned in the announcement.

Earlier this month, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst initially linked James to the Nuggets. Then the odds shifted dramatically, reaching as high as 5-1 for him to sign with Denver. The Nuggets also made Rich Paul’s list of potential teams for James.

But the momentum fizzled after that and James ultimately took weeks and weeks to make a decision.

Denver’s offseason has gotten poor reviews around the NBA and a miraculous LeBron James signing could’ve saved it. That didn’t happen, so now the Peyton Watson situation is one of the last things to resolve. He’s a restricted free agent and things could move quickly with the James signing complete.

The prime of Nikola Jokic has resulted in one championship, but it’s hard to envision a path forward to another. We’ll have to see if the Nuggets can stay healthy in 2026-27 — that appears to be their best (and last) hope.

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