Report: LeBron James’s list down to 4, includes Sixers

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 

LeBron James is set to embark on another journey through free agency this Summer, and throughout the season there has been an increasing sense that the upstart 76ers could be one James's shortlist of teams to join. 

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer divulged that the idea of James joining the Sixers is not far-fetched in his Is this the end of the Spurs' dynasty piece:

There have been whispers, mostly on social media, about whether LeBron James would consider the Spurs because of the mutual respect between James and Popovich, now the coach of the U.S. men’s national basketball team. But I’ve consistently heard from multiple league sources that LeBron currently has only four teams on his list: the Cavaliers, Lakers, Rockets, and 76ers.

LeBron's connection to Cleveland is obvious, with it being the team that he grew up watching, the team that drafted him, and the team that he currently plays for. 

James has been long rumored to be considering Los Angeles as his next destination with the prospect of creating a new "Showtime" Lakers era and getting to retire in Los Angeles where he owns property and has a burgeoning film career. 

The Houston Rockets offer the appeal of playing with soon-to-be league MVP James Harden and Chris Paul, a duo that has led the Rockets to the best record in the NBA this season. They are the only team with a better record than James's newest rival the Golden State Warriors. 

While the other three franchises all are more than capable of enticing James, the Sixers are equally desirable. James has a publicized relationship with Sixers young point guard Ben Simmons, referring to him as "Young King." In the same post James also praised Joel Embiid and how fun he felt it was to watch the young pair play against – and beat him. James praised Sixers head coach Brett Brown prior to  previous matchup, and the Sixers offer the distinct advantage of still having draft capital and young core that will relieve some of the burden as LeBron enters his mid and late 30s. 

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