A'ja Wilson Shares Immediate Reaction to LeBron James Decision
Newsweek · C · trust 63/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. On Friday, NBA superstar LeBron James finally revealed his big move for next season, with the announcement that he'll suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers' All-Star roster.
With that decision, it means he chose not to return to his former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat, in pursuit of a championship. Instead, he's taking a different approach to a new city, which has really loaded up its roster just for the chance to claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
WNBA MVP and champion A'ja Wilson received the news while doing a media session for the upcoming All-Star Game in Chicago and shared her thoughts on James' upcoming season in a new location.
"I mean, shout out to Bron. If Bron's in a space where he's happy, he's blessed, and it works out for him and his family, he's at the point in his career where he's really focusing on something that's really important, which is him and his family," the Las Vegas Aces star said . "So shout out to him, I'm glad that he found another home. I know he's gonna probably crush it."
While Wilson expressed her excitement about James joining Philadelphia, she might have been secretly wishing he had chosen the Miami Heat. It was among his top three suitors in recent weeks and had moved into the lead over the past several days.
This occurred after a video uploaded to the Heat's YouTube channel suggested there was an introductory press conference on July 27 for James. The placeholder video was promptly deleted, with the Heat indicating it had been an accident in anticipation of James potentially choosing the Heat.
Wilson's boyfriend, Bam Adebayo, is currently on the Heat, who recently acquired two-time NBA MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the fit may not have made sense, whereas this 76ers roster is stacked with stars.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said she spoke to James's agent, Rich Paul, and he said initially it seemed James would return to Miami.
"I spoke to Rich Paul about that about an hour ago, he said for a lot of the time he thought it was going to end up being Miami. That seemed to be a nice fit and story but he said, 'when you been to a place before, when you won at a place before, if you go back it may not be the same. You kind of want to leave those memories where they were, as they are. They had a great time together when they won two titles down in Miami,'" Shelburne shared .
Instead, James joins a 76ers starting lineup that features All-Stars Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, along with last year's rookie sensation, VJ Edgecombe. It makes for one of the most dangerous five-man starting lineups in the NBA, with Embiid a former NBA MVP and Brown a 2024 NBA Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics.
The news that King James decided on Philadelphia immediately boosted the 76ers into top contenders to win the NBA championship. They are now either tied with the New York Knicks or just ahead of them, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, at DraftKings Sportsbook.
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