liveUpdated 14m agoFollow our live coverage of James' decision to sign with Philadelphia for the upcoming season.The Athletic NBA StaffJuly 25, 2026 at 8:42 AM EDTLeBron James announced he is signing with Philadelphia after playing the past eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Getty ImagesWhere I have the Cavaliers Getty ImagesWith the news of LeBron James heading to Philadelphia, where does that leave his hometown team in our post-decision Power Rankings?The Cavs aren't No. 1, that's for sure, but the way I see it, Cleveland isn't that far from the top.LeBron to 76ers solidifies one thing: The East is back, baby Getty ImagesThe East is back, even if it was hardly ever here. LeBron James’ return to the conference he once dominated is only part of its rise.On Friday, James announced he would join the Philadelphia 76ers, the fourth and, he says, final organization of his career. And yet, the Sixers are hardly automatic favorites to go to the NBA Finals or even the conference finals — and not just because James is 41 years old or because of Joel Embiid’s unfortunate injury history.The makeup of the conference is not the same as it was when James frolicked to eight consecutive finals berths before heading to Los Angeles in 2018. The path for Sixers — whose healthy starting lineup is now loaded with two reigning All-NBA performers in Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, a talented up-and-comer in VJ Edgecombe and two former MVPs in Embiid and James — is littered with obstacles.Want to know how many college hoops players are making more than LeBron's $3.8 million next season?The answer is 18, according to our sources.Florida’s Thomas Haugh, widely believed to be the highest-paid college hoops star next season, will reportedly earn $10 million next year. Our sources within the SEC claim that three or four schools are spending $30 million on their rosters alone. Our full list:A shift in the East Getty ImagesLeBron James’ decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers changes things in the NBA, specifically in the Eastern Conference. But what does it really mean in the conference? Our William Guillory, Jason Jones and Eric Koreen share their thoughts on the big news here.I'm not sure M. Night Shyamalan knows that the NBA retired No. 6 leaguewide a few years ago. And, y'know, that's Julius Erving's number.This is where I have landed on the NBA Christmas Day games:Heat-Knicks at MSG76ers-CelticsWolves-LakersThunder-SpursRockets-WarriorsTopps announced that the trading card they’re making to mark LeBron James’ move to Philadelphia, the one promoted in the tweet that broke the news of his decision, has already sold more than 100,000 copies. That makes it one of the best-selling Topps Now cards since the company regained the NBA trading card license last fall.The Phillies are getting in on the LeBron James fun.LeBron James is one of the many great athletes who couldn't seem to hang it up at the end of their career.Harper on James Getty ImagesBryce Harper is one of the few people on this planet who can relate (at least a little bit) to LeBron James. They were both on Sports Illustrated covers as teenagers. They have succeeded as professional athletes while the highest of expectations have followed them. They are both Ohio State football fans.And, now, they will share a city."Pretty cool," Harper said Friday before the Philadelphia Phillies played the New York Yankees. "Obviously, one of the best to ever do it."Harper is one of the most recognizable athletes in the country, but he's not James. Now, alongside Eagles mainstays Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia has a brand of star power that has few parallels in the city's history."Just obviously a great city to come play in," Harper said. "Fan base-wise, sports-wise. I feel like the city's in a really good spot with all the teams right now — from us, to the Sixers, to the Eagles, to the Flyers making the postseason this year as well. So just a really good spot to be in."Harper, like most people following the James saga, expected him to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was his prediction when asked last week during an ESPN broadcast. Harper might not be the biggest NBA fan; he said he's met James at the ESPYs before.He understood the magnitude, much like how the city reacted when Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal in March 2019."We're in different places in our careers," Harper said. "So I think that plays a little bit into it. Obviously, he's one of the greatest ever to do it. He's done it for a long time. I mean, there's four guys over there on that starting lineup; they're probably really happy. It’s Nick Nurse’s birthday today, too. But the city is on fire about it. I mean, how could you not be? It’s LeBron James."This is a poignant explanation LeBron gave about the family impact of this choice, along with the Bronny aside. Let's tackle an important question that you might not be thinking about.At WNBA All-Star availability in Chicago, Philly native and Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper shared some of her thoughts on the 76ers adding LeBron James."We've trusted the process, and now look what happened."As the Cleveland Cavaliers move on to other options now that they've missed out on LeBron James, let's note that a sign-and-trade for Atlanta's Jonathan Kuminga is basically impossible given how far beyond the first-apron payroll threshold the Cavs currently stand. What is more plausible, however, is fitting in Kuminga with a one-plus-one deal for the $6.06 million taxpayer exception, and then re-signing James Harden for any amount less than $32 million for the coming season. Such an arrangement would keep the Cavs just a hair below the $221.67 million second apron with the mandatory 14 contracts on their books.I mentioned Dwight Howard below, but here's another former Sixer weighing in on the LeBron James decision (and also maybe angling for a return).Richaun Holmes was drafted by Philly in the second round in 2015 and played three seasons with the team. His best year was 2020-21, when he started 61 games and averaged 14.2 points per contest with the Sacramento Kings. His most recent NBA season was 2024-25 with the Washington Wizards.Man bron to Philly that’s wild fr…ay if yall need one more i already know my way around the city 👀 @sixers— Richaun Holmes (@Rich_Holmes22) July 24, 2026