BASKETBALL BOMBSHELL

LeBron James Shocks NBA to Sign With Unexpected New Team

The NBA legend is headed back east—but not to one of his former teams.

LeBron James is officially a Philadelphia 76er. ESPN first revealed the shock signing late Friday morning, reporting that the 41-year-old was inking a two-year deal worth $8 million. Where James would play his record-breaking 24th season has been the biggest talking point of the NBA offseason, with many experts predicting that he would sign to one of his previous teams, like the Miami Heat or his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead, James is headed to Philadelphia with hopes of breaking a 43-year championship drought for the 76ers—similar to how he delivered a championship to the Cavaliers in 2016 after the team went 52 years without a trophy. The 76ers finished last season as the seventh-best team in the Eastern Conference, but were able to shock the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They were then eliminated in the conference semi-finals by the eventual champions, the New York Knicks.