Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was looking for a way to bring LeBron James to Philadelphia. When he got a few minutes with the free agent at a restaurant in New York, he talked up the city and the charity work James could do there. The part Shapiro still talks about is how James addressed him.
“Thanks, Gov. I appreciate your work,” James told him, according to Shapiro. Recalling the exchange for TMZ on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania on November 2, the governor sounded delighted. “LeBron knows who I am,” he said.
James had come over to see someone else. On July 15, Shapiro was dining at ZZ’s Club with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. James, in town for Fanatics Fest, stopped at their table to greet the Clintons. That gave Shapiro his opening, according to Puck.
Asked how much credit he deserved for the signing, Shapiro gave it to Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and the other Sixers players who had made their own case to James.
Shapiro Declared LeBron James Day When the News Broke
LEBRON IS COMING TO PHILLY.
By the power vested in me as the Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a die-hard Sixers fan… I hereby proclaim today to be LEBRON JAMES DAY.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, @KingJames. https://t.co/JHsNkCFyyN
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) July 24, 2026
Shapiro proclaimed July 24 LeBron James Day in Pennsylvania after James announced his choice that morning. James marked the end of his eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers by sharing a reel of career highlights. He set it to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” and closed with the 76ers logo.
The 76ers announced the signing on July 27. The deal was reported at two years and approximately $8 million. James said he had considered retirement but believed he could help Philadelphia win its first NBA championship since 1983.
Why James Picked Up the Phone for Tyrese Maxey
On a September episode of Mind the Game, James told Steve Nash that Maxey was among the first people to call after he told the Lakers he was leaving. James said he sometimes let calls go because he knew someone wanted to sway him. He had a hard time doing that to Maxey.
Philadelphia’s trade with Boston for Brown made the roster more appealing, and James wanted to help Joel Embiid win his first ring. At Sixers media day, covered by NBA.com, James said he had asked Maxey how he saw his own future in Philadelphia and where he thought James would fit on the team.
The two had been making room for each other since 2020, when Rajon Rondo introduced them as Maxey was preparing for the NBA draft. Maxey recalled moving his 6 a.m. workouts to 10 so he could train with James. The next summer, he got James to show up at six.