76ers’ Bob Myers Reveals Why LeBron James Picked Philly Instead of Going Home in Cavaliers

Bob Myers sat on Rich Paul’s podcast and made a public pitch. He asserted that if LeBron James wanted to win, Philadelphia was the place. James then signed with the 76ers instead of returning to Cleveland. Myers has now explained why he believes that choice was the harder one.

Bob Myers said LeBron James chose the hardest path by joining the Sixers.

“If you ever questioned the motivations of LeBron, he chose the hardest path I think,” Myers said on Vince and Tmac (h/t) NBA Courtside. “Now you say best chance to win. He goes back to Cleveland. He’s made man. He chose the only one reason. It’s to win."

"It wasn’t because I played there before," he added. "Or I grew up there. I want to play with my friend. It was because I want to win. So, I’m going to go where I want to go. It gives me the best chance to win.”

A third tour in Cleveland would have come with instant goodwill, familiar faces, and a ready-made narrative. James grew up in Akron, delivered the city’s only championship, and still treats Northeast Ohio as home.

Myers’ point was that none of that decided the destination. At 41, heading into his 24th season, James treated the decision as a basketball calculation first.

Philadelphia had not been the early favorite. Cleveland, Miami and Golden State were the names most often attached to James after he left the Lakers. The Sixers’ picture changed when they acquired Jaylen Brown. That move, combined with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, became the roster Myers kept selling as the best remaining title path.

Bob Myers Says LeBron James Skipped the Easy Cleveland Homecoming to Chase a Title

The “Hardest path,” in Myers’ idea, means that James walked away from the comfortable option. There was no “I played there before” justification waiting in Philadelphia. There was no hometown parade already scheduled.

There was no childhood friend in the front office closing the deal. The only argument Myers said was that James accepted the team that was about winning.

That argument also rests on the supporting cast. Embiid remains one of the most dominant bigs in the league when healthy. Maxey is a rising offensive star. Brown adds two-way star power after his Boston tenure. Edgecombe gives the group a young, aggressive wing. Myers’ public pitch in July was that this collection gave James a clearer shot than Cleveland or Miami.

LeBron James could have gone home and been celebrated for it. Bob Myers says he didn’t, and that the reason was never complicated. James picked the Sixers because he believed they gave him the best chance to win, not because the story would have been easier anywhere else.