ARIES (March 21-April 19). The longer story has its details, exceptions, detours and complexities. The shorter story lines the facts up to form simple wisdom. The meandering plot will resolve into an obvious and elegant truth.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re somehow able to protect your heart and still keep it open today. It’s as though your boundaries create the conditions for trust rather than preventing it. You can honor your boundaries and still remain available for connection.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). A family may know the practical answer to a situation. Getting everyone to accept it is another matter. The challenge isn’t figuring out what’s true. The challenge is navigating the human realities around that truth.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re in a phase where the challenge isn’t identifying what you want. You already know that. The challenge is discovering how long you’ll stick with it. Goals reveal desires. Obstacles reveal character.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What you admire in others often reflects either a strength of your own or a quality you’d benefit from having nearby. Either way, today you express appreciation; connections deepen and alliances form.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Delays and detours aren’t signs you’re on the wrong path. They are little pauses that give you time to practice, center yourself and visualize your best performance. The “tests” are not separate from the pursuit. They are the pursuit.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You get satisfaction from being useful. Generosity isn’t always about sacrifice. Sometimes it’s simply about showing up, and that’s enough to feel and be connected to the people around you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Being in tune with your own inner clock is crucial to feeling good today. You know when you feel most alert, and you’ll make those times count by doing your hardest work then.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Fearlessness would be foolish now. The point is not to be impervious to fear, but to feel it and go forward anyway. Your comfort level with fear changes as you take the risks necessary to live the life you want.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ve explored possibilities, weighed options and changed your mind a few times, too. Now you’re at a place where you have all the information you need. To turn the page and discover what happens next, you must first make a decision.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The person who listens well is much more persuasive than the person who shows up with the perfect speech. Today your sincere attention is what matters, not how knowledgeable or prepared you are for the conversation.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Some see the mountain and they want to climb it. Others see the mountain and they want to move it. You’re inclined to let the mountain be a mountain — directing water, creating a habitat, shaping the landscape — while you be you.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 25). It’s your Year of the Invisible Wand in which your intentions work like spells, directing your energy straight to the heart of the task at hand. What you conjure, you can make real. More highlights: You’ll earn a certificate or trophy. A faraway place gives you the freedom to try on new roles. You’ve never been so playful in your approach to relationships and it makes the day-to-day so fun. Virgo and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 15, 33, 22, 8 and 17.
Bryce Harper tapped his helmet because, well, what else could he do?
Harper had just run the count full in the seventh inning Friday night when the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler froze him with a 98 mph sinker at the bottom of the strike zone, an unhittable pitch even for the Phillies’ best hitter.
Tap, tap, tap.
Call upheld. Strike three. Thanks for playing.
It was that kind of night. Not quite to the level of what the Phillies saw from the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski two months ago in Milwaukee, but in blanking them for 7⅓ innings of a 1-0 loss, Schlittler was darn close.
“No, he’s good,” Don Mattingly said of the Yankees’ Cy Young candidate. “I’ve seen him a few times last year. He bullies you a little bit with the fastball on both sides and kind of makes it go both ways. Yeah, it was good.”
What can be said, then, of the Phillies?
They’ve lost three consecutive games and come out of the All-Star break in a 2-5 funk. They haven’t played horribly; two of the last three losses were by one run. One pitch here or one play there, and a few outcomes would’ve been different.
But they certainly don’t look sharp, either. Not on the bases. Not defensively. Not at the plate. Harper and Kyle Schwarber are 4-for-25 since the break; Brandon Marsh is 3-for-25; Trea Turner has made five errors in seven games.
The highlight of the series opener against the Yankees, apart from seven strong innings from Jesús Luzardo in a tough-luck decision: The Phanatic’s imitation of LeBron James’ chalk toss before dunking on a man in a Knicks jersey.
Are the rest of the Phillies simply in a rut, one of many over a six-month season? Or is there more to be concerned about?
“I’m not necessarily concerned about it,” J.T. Realmuto said. “We’ve been playing good teams, and we definitely would like to be playing better baseball. I think we’re just a little inconsistent right now, throughout the lineup. We’re not scoring enough runs, to be quite frank, and then our defense has scuffled a little bit.”
Indeed, the margin for error is this teeny-tiny: Luzardo threw a sinker down in the zone — exactly where he said he wanted it — and Paul Goldschmidt hit it into the right-field bleachers to lead off the fourth inning.
And that was enough to beat the Phillies.
“Sinker down, 2-0, just trying to get back in the zone, and he just put a good swing on it,” Luzardo said. “He’s been around for a long time.”
It doesn’t get easier Saturday night, when the Phillies will call up 32-year-old journeyman Brian Keller for his major league debut as either a starter or bulk pitcher. The Yankees will counter with lefty Ryan Weathers; the Phillies have struggled to hit lefties.
“Obviously, the talent’s there,” Realmuto said. “We feel good about our team. We’re just not playing our best baseball right now. We’ve just got to turn it around, get it going.”
Goldschmidt’s fourth-inning homer was the first hit of the game for either team. The Phillies got their first against Schlittler on Schwarber’s one-out double in the bottom of the inning. But Harper grounded out and Marsh struck out to extinguish any rally.
The Phillies didn’t threaten again until the eighth, when they finally knocked out Schlittler with two on and one out. Edmundo Sosa singled to load the bases before Turner flew to shallow left field and Schwarber grounded out.
“I was ready to tag up and score [on Turner’s ball],” said Realmuto, whose baserunning blunder ended Tuesday night’s game against the Dodgers. “[Third-base coach Anthony Contreras] told me no, which was the right call. I was going to be out at home.”
In the ninth, Marsh hit a ball hard to left field, where Cody Bellinger made a leaping catch on the warning track to rob extra bases.
That kind of night. That kind of week.
And not many answers.
“I don’t think it’s anything specific,” Luzardo said. “It’s more so just kicking it back into high gear and playing the brand of baseball that we were playing before the break. There’s a little sense of, we’re right there. We’re not getting blown out. We’re a play away, maybe a swing away, an out away, whatever it might be from winning that game.
“As long as we’re keeping games close, as long as we have a chance, we’ll come out on top more times than not.”
If you have been following the LeBron James’ free agency saga, you have probably tuned into or read about Game Over — a podcast hosted by James’ agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
It was on Game Over that Paul first confirmed the 76ers as a possible destination for the four-time NBA champion. It was on Game Over that Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president Bob Myers made a direct pitch for James to join the Sixers. Now, it’s on Game Over that Paul — one of the closest people to James — explains James’ rationale for signing with Philadelphia.
Here are four things we learned from Friday’s episode:
How long has it been Philly?
The conversation started with Game Over cohost Max Kellerman asking Paul how long James had known he was signing with the Sixers before the announcement was public.
“He just decided on it, 100%” Paul said, adding that the competition was “pretty layered across the board.”
Later in the episode, Paul commented on the difficulties of the decision and said, “how hard it is to go away from a Miami and go away from a Cleveland, and who wouldn’t want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green?”
From Paul’s comments, conspiracy theorists seemingly can rule out James’ previous “trust the process” comments at Fanatics Fest as confirmation that his mind was made up last week.
What were James’ deciding factors?
On Friday, after ESPN first reported James would be signing with the Sixers, the all-time great took to social media to release a statement. James cited the “chance at the feeling of winning another championship” as his main motivation for coming to Philadelphia.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote on X.
I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love
Paul expanded on James’ reasoning on Game Over and said it was a “love for the game decision.”
“Nobody at this level is this accomplished, this successful at life, still wanting to play the game. I don’t know what else you can say about it besides someone being very obsessed with the game of basketball,” Paul said.
A big question around James’ decision was whether his family life, rooted solidly in Los Angeles, would play any role in where he landed. Paul also addressed how James’ family factored into him signing with Philadelphia.
“Yeah the distance, that plays a huge role,” Paul said. “I think he talked about it, just being just so far away. I think it’s a testament to what his family has always meant to him and how they supported him in understanding just his love for the game.”
James is expected to slip into the Sixers’ four spot with relative ease. Last season, wing Jaylen Brown (then with the Celtics) and point guard Tyrese Maxey finished fourth and fifth in points per game, respectively. With two ball-dominant players — and a former MVP in Joel Embiid when healthy — James could take on a complementary role at 41 years old.
Paul sees James as the “secondary playmaker” on the team behind Maxey and said that “if he’s your secondary playmaker, you have the best secondary playmaker in the league.” He also sees some potential pick-and-roll action in the future for James and Maxey, similar to how James played alongside All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Similarly, he feels that James can help elevate sophomore guard VJ Edgecombe’s game.
“When you talk about a guy like VJ Edgecombe, [James] definitely helps him because when you’re so athletic, you tend to lean on that a lot.” he said. “But in VJ.’s case, really honing in and being efficient [is important]. When you add a LeBron, everything changes.”
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul believes that LeBron James (left) could be good for VJ Edgecombe’s development.Chris Szagola
Did Joel Embiid’s health play a factor?
Like any decision involving the Sixers, Embiid’s health could be a factor in James’ deliberations in signing with them. Embiid has played just 96 games in the three seasons since raising the MVP trophy. However, Paul seemed optimistic about the big man’s current status.
“I don’t want to be too hard on Embiid, but you have to think about all those things,” Paul said. “And from my understanding, Embiid is doing a hell of a job this summer. It’s the first summer he’s actually been healthy, not having some type of surgery over the summer, which is always good. And, look, anybody knows if Embiid is your best player on the team, you’re a really good team. If he’s your second-best player on the team, you’re an unbelievably good team. If he’s your third-best player on the team, this is basically the U.S. [team].
Steve Gansey, brother of Mike Gansey, was at work on Friday morning when the texts started to trickle in.
Two colleagues from Philly shared the news that LeBron James had agreed to sign with the 76ers. The younger Gansey logged onto Twitter, and saw a post from ESPN insider Shams Charania saying the same.
Like any other responsible basketball fan, he checked to make sure it wasn’t a prank account, before getting too excited.
“I was like, ‘OK, well, who knows?’” Gansey said on Friday. “You’ve got to do your due diligence and make sure that’s real.”
About an hour later, Steve received the ultimate confirmation from his brother, Mike, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations.
“Mike actually called me,” he said. “And was like, ‘What’s up?’ And I was like ‘….What’s up?’”
Steve said his brother barely talked about LeBron at all.
“We talked about how excited he is, this, that, and the other, and the first thing he said was, ’Yeah, it’s Nick Nurse’s birthday,’” Gansey said. “And Nick was boarding a plane or something, and Mike had to shoot him a text, and he said, ‘Happy Birthday,’ or something.”
He added: “Only a couple of hours after he gets the news with LeBron, Mike is talking about going to the flea market with his kids tomorrow in Cleveland. And how excited he is to find some old-school Starting Lineups or action figures. That’s just who Mike is.”
The younger Gansey ignited Twitter a few weeks ago when he posted a photo of his brother, side-by-side, with LeBron, in high school. LeBron played basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary, a short drive from Olmsted Falls, where Gansey played.
Steve says he didn’t have any inside knowledge when he posted that prophetic tweet, but that didn’t stop Sixers fans from showering him with praise on Friday afternoon, after the news became official.
“Everyone was like, ‘Thanks Steve, for everything,’ like I did something,” Gansey said. “I gave people hope, I guess, by throwing out a couple of tweets there.”
Steve has never been to Philadelphia; the closest he got was a few trips to Delaware when he was coaching in the G League. But he is excited to go. And when he does, he will have plenty of free food and alcohol awaiting him.
“Someone said that Mike can walk on the Sch-ku-yu? What is it? Water?” Gansey said, referring to the Schuylkill River. “I was like, ‘OK, that must be a tough body of water to walk on.’
“The free Tastykakes. ‘I have your hookup for free Tastykakes for Mike.’ Free cheesesteaks. ‘You get free beer, or a free drink, when you come into town.’”
These are nice perks, but the younger brother is more proud of his brother than anything else — and unlike the rest of the NBA, he’s certainly not surprised.
“It comes around,” he said. “And that’s what relationships are. Obviously they have a good relationship together, they won a championship together, they feel comfortable. Nick Nurse won a championship. He’s a players-first type of coach.
“It’s just really awesome that they are back together again. And it’s even cooler that they’re teaming up in a different city. Two northeast Ohio guys, takin’ on the world.”
LeBron James suiting up for the Sixers? Now, more than three weeks after the opening of NBA free agency, that idea is a reality.
The news broke Friday morning with essentially no warning. James himself announced the signing on his X account, and a storm of takes ensued.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said the move makes Philadelphia a legitimate championship threat. Perkins and James played together for the 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. With an existing core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and the recently acquired Jaylen Brown, Perkins believes that adding James will put Philadelphia over the top.
“The Philadelphia 76ers, with LeBron James, can win the championship this year with this roster,” Perkins said. “The teams that he won a championship with, they had dogs … this is what [the Sixers] have.”
Hall of Famer Vince Carter was equally high on the Sixers’ latest signing, calling his presence on an already talented roster “cheating.” Like James, who is entering his 24th NBA season, Carter played well into his 40s, with a career spanning from the 1998-99 season to 2019-20. But while the No. 5 overall pick in 1998 didn’t win an NBA title in his 22-season career, James is aiming for his fifth championship and to become the first player to win one with four teams.
LeBron James to the @sixers is a basketball cheat code according to Vince Carter. Good luck to the rest of the NBA 😅 pic.twitter.com/fAskKJjkUN
— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) July 24, 2026
Not lost in the madness were the other teams in contention to sign James. Before Friday’s announcement, the Sixers were ranked No. 4 across prediction markets, trailing the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Heat in likelihood to sign James. Days ago, Miami posted the link to a livestream to formally introduce James, which it said was accidental. But many fans believed the accident was the stream being leaked early, not that James wasn’t signing in Miami.
Podcast host Dan Le Batard said he was confident in James heading back to Miami from the start.
“I’m just now beginning to get the texts that the Heat are curious how it is that the Sixers did this,” Le Batard said. “I think a whole lot of people are surprised that it happened at all, even though Philadelphia was always in the conversation … nobody thought that he would trust Joel Embiid’s health as the punctuation on his career.”
Another factor that surprised Le Batard was financial. He said sources had told him Miami’s offer to James was for double the money.
The Miami heat are curious to why LeBron James went to the Sixers for half the money they offered, per @LeBatardShow
Friday morning’s news was equally as shocking to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who thought the Akron, Ohio, native would return to his home state and the Cleveland Cavaliers for his third stint.
“I thought that if he was going back East, he would go home, that he wouldn’t dangle his availability in the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers and then go somewhere else,” said Smith, a former Inquirer columnist. “For him to choose the Philadelphia 76ers, this is a shock among shockers.”
Smith’s thought process was one shared by many who assumed James desired a “storybook ending” with his last team. The 41-year-old grew up about 40 miles from Cleveland, was drafted first overall by the Cavaliers, spent 11 seasons with the team, and brought the franchise its only championship. And yet, Philadelphia prevailed.
“This speaks to Bob Myers, the architect, the former four-time championship executive for the Golden State Warriors,” Smith said.
Myers, who is president of sports at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, led the search for the Sixers’ president of basketball operations, following the firing of former executive Daryl Morey. Myers hired former Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey at the end of May, and remains involved in what he called “high-level decision making.”
Signing James certainly qualifies.
"I thought that if he was going back East, he would go home, that he wouldn't dangle his presence, his availability in the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers and then go somewhere else" – Stephen A. Smith reacts to LeBron James signing with the 76ers pic.twitter.com/NwXvPN8mN0
Later Friday, Smith hosted Sixers legend Allen Iverson on his radio show. The 11-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was enthusiastic about his former team’s chances with the addition of James.
“Definitely championship or bust, man. I mean, that’s the added piece,” Iverson said. “Obviously, you put him on any team … you definitely have a chance.”
One concern Iverson had was the team’s health. Embiid has played in just 96 of 246 possible games over the past three seasons, and the team generally has struggled in his absence. Nearing age 42, James’ health is no certainty either. But Iverson believes adding James to an already potent core gives the Sixers a great chance to thrive and potentially return to the Finals for the first time since Iverson’s MVP season of 2000-01.
“He just boosts the percentage of any team having a chance to win the championship,” he said.
“Definitely championship or bust, man. I mean, that's the added piece we needed. Obviously you put him on any team, to me, you definitely have a chance. But obviously, a whole lot of things gotta go right during the season. Definitely health. But as far as the leadership, the… pic.twitter.com/jwEDoWRE4r
Iverson wasn’t the only former Sixer who Smith hosted. Charles Barkley also chimed in, but he said he was disappointed that James signed with his former team.
“I wanted him to go back to Cleveland. I mean, he has no affiliation with the 76ers,” Barkley said.
As for why James decided to sign with Philadelphia, Barkley believes it had to do with the other big Gansey/Myers move this offseason — the trade for Jaylen Brown. The former Celtic averaged 28.7 points last season and was Finals MVP in 2023-24.
“I have no idea what the Celtics [were thinking], trading a great player like Jaylen, someone they got to play against five times a year … but this move makes the Sixers the team to beat in the East,” he said.
Charles Barkley credits the Celtics for LeBron joining Philly:
“I was shocked, he has no affiliation with the 76ers. But i think the kicker was Jaylen Brown. I don’t know what the Celtics were thinking. LeBron would’ve have come to Philly if they didn’t get Jaylen Brown. Someone… pic.twitter.com/qwSt6GIkfe
After weeks of speculation, LeBron James made his “last decision” on Friday morning and announced that he would be joining the 76ers on a two-year, $8 million contract. The news comes just one week after an appearance at Fanatics Fest, where the 22-time All-Star said he wanted to play for a team that “trusts the process.”
James joins a team that acquired All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown roughly three weeks ago. Ahead of James’ arrival in the City of Brotherly Love, here’s everything you need to know — from when he could make his Sixers debut to his current connections to the city:
How did the Sixers land LeBron?
James’ agent and longtime friend Rich Paul said on his Game Over podcast that “everything changed” when the Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown on July 1, one day after James informed the Lakers that he’d be entering free agency.
The Sixers suddenly found themselves among the reported top three destinations for the future Hall of Famer, but many believed them to be a distant third to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, two of James’ former homes where he also won NBA titles. But after many twists and turns and hints that may or may not have actually been hints — you can get the full play-by-play here — James ultimately decided to bring his talents to Philly.
We’re currently still waiting for the release of the Sixers’ 2026-27 schedule.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver delayed the release of the schedule with the NBA world on hold, waiting for James’ free agency decision. But on Monday, some of the Sixers preseason schedule was revealed: two games against the Boston Celtics.
On Oct. 10 (8 p.m.), they’ll travel to TD Garden. And on Oct. 16 (7 p.m.), they will host the Celtics at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. James can choose to play in preseason or opt out and wait for the regular season.
The four-time NBA champion has played preseason games in the past but opted out last year when he also missed 14 regular season games with sciatica.
James will join a team that includes former league MVP Joel Embiid, two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, rising star V.J. Edgecombe, and five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown, whom the team acquired in a blockbuster trade in July.
Adding the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer, who’s the NBA’s all-time leader in points, a four-time MVP, and a four-time NBA champion, makes these Sixers a true title contender.
Here’s a look at the projected depth chart:
Sixers championship odds
Since the decision, the Sixers title odds have improved from +2000, according to Sports Illustrated on July 20, to +900.
Here are the current odds, according to DraftKings.
Where to get merch?
Fanatics already was selling LeBron James Sixers merch — and they sold out fast.
The No. 23 royal blue Swingman jersey, which was listed at $124.99, was sold out by 1:40 p.m., Philadelphia time. A James royal blue Fast Break jersey, listed for $79.99, also will be available to preorder.
A signed James 2026-27 Topps trading card, which was featured on James’ Instagram after the announcement, also is available to purchase through Fanatics. The cards are selling for between $11.99 for a single card and $169.99 for a 20-pack.
Brandon Williams, Fanatics’ vice president for global communications, said more merchandise will be added. Meanwhile, Rally House was letting customers preorder a royal blue James T-shirt for $37 on Friday afternoon. The shirt will ship Aug. 31.
Throughout roughly three weeks of speculating where King James would land, notable Philly figures did everything in their power to pitch him on Philly — including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, popular streamer iShowSpeed, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, and Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean.
In the end, it paid off.
Philly may have been the biggest surprise, compared to some of the other teams on the top of James’ free agency list — his former teams in the Miami Heat and hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.
But James also has ties to Philly that go beyond Phillies star Bryce Harper recreating his famous “Chosen One” Sports Illustrated cover.
James has ties to multiple people in the Sixers organization, including Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey. Gansey’s younger brother, Steve, posted a photo of the two Ohio natives standing side by side in high school.
James also is close to Maxey through agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.
“A key factor in any sort of Philadelphia pursuit of LeBron is Tyrese Maxey. That is not only because of his talent, which is awesome, but he’s one of Klutch’s core clients,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “He’s basically a part of LeBron’s extended family, so you would not only have Jaylen Brown as the addition, you would have Tyrese Maxey as your drawing card.”
The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to emerge as a strong suitor for LeBron James due to the Tyrese Maxey connection, per @WindhorstESPN
Maxey, who shares the same Klutch Sports agency as LeBron, is viewed as a major recruiting tool for Philly. pic.twitter.com/6GCoUHgl9y
Maxey has referred previously to James as his “big brother.” They also train together every summer. In December, James had a lot of high praise for the 25 year old.
“I love the success and the humbleness that Tyrese does it at,” James told NBC Sports Philadelphia in December. “It starts with his family, and, you know, he’s just taking full advantage of the opportunity here. And he’s made the most of it. … Obviously, I love his game. But I love him the person more, than even his game and that’s, you know, that’s tough to do as great as he is on the court.
James has history with other Sixers, too, notably Embiid and Brown. Embiid and James played on the USA Basketball team that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Embiid committed to play for Team USA, turning down the opportunity to play for Cameroon or France, and won gold with the Americans.
Meanwhile, Brown and James have a more controversial history. During a 2024 summer league game, Brown was spotted in the crowd saying, “I don’t think Bronny is a pro.” James later responded to the comments.
Were the Sixers close to landing James in the past?
The Sixers and James were in talks the last time he was seeking a new team, in 2018. Leading up to his decision, the Sixers went all-out to campaign for the superstar, and even Embiid turned to social media to make his own pitch.
The 2018 tweet wasn’t Embiid’s first time chatting up a fellow star on the platform. In 2014, he also tagged James, who ultimately chose a return to Cleveland.
@KingJames hey bro hope you're having a good day…… Want to join us in philly?? Peace
At 16 years old, Bryce Harper was dubbed the “Chosen One” on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Tom Verducci’s 2009 cover story invoked the nickname previously given to 17-year-old LeBron James on his 2002 SIcover and drew parallels between the two prodigies. Verducci went as far as calling Harper “Baseball’s LeBron.”
Nearly two decades later, Harper and James will play in the same city.
“One of the best to ever do it, being able to come in and enjoy that club over there. Obviously, they got good young group over there that are a lot of fun to play with,” Harper said. “So, really cool for the city, him coming.”
Harper added that he wasn’t surprised that James chose the 76ers.
“They’re really good,” he said.
The buzz around James’ two-year deal with the Sixers had reached the Phillies clubhouse ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. Hours after news of the contract broke, a screen outside Citizens Bank Park projected an image of James in a Sixers uniform with the message, “Welcome to Philly, LeBron!”
Excitement over the LeBron James decision permeated the city on Friday and made its way into the Phillies clubhouse as well. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Jhoan Duran, Bryson Stott, and Cristopher Sánchez were among the Phillies who posted images of James on their Instagram stories on Friday.
Trea Turner, a Boynton Beach, Fla. native, grew up a fan of the Miami Heat and watched James lead them to back-to-back championships. He said he was excited for those who haven’t had the chance to see James play get that opportunity.
“The additions have been crazy,” he said of the Sixers. “I felt like they had a good core, and adding [Jaylen] Brown and LeBron, I think it’s going to be pretty special. So hopefully they stay healthy and come together and win a bunch of games.”
Harper and James have met once at the ESPYs, an annual sports awards show produced by ESPN. In 2016, James beat out Harper, Cam Newton, and Steph Curry for Best Male Athlete.
Harper is now more than halfway through his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies that then was the richest in North American sports. He had no advice to offer James — “he knows exactly what he needs to do,” Harper said — but wished him the best.
“Just obviously a great city to come play in fan base-wise, sports-wise, 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 postseason this year as well,” Harper said. “So just a really good spot to be in.”
Al Campbell, 74, of Philadelphia, retired longtime copy editor at The Inquirer, former copy boy, clerk, and library assistant at the Bulletin, mentor to many, and steady pitcher for the old Horsham Neighbors softball team, died Tuesday, June 9, of heart and kidney failure at the home of his brother Bob in the Northeast.
Born in Philadelphia and a 1969 graduate of Northeast High School, Mr. Campbell spent nearly three years as a copy boy and editorial assistant in the old Bulletin newsroom before joining The Inquirer as a copy editor in 1970. That move to 400 N. Broad St. kicked off a colorful 46-year career at The Inquirer that included stints on the suburban news copy desk and the night sports copy desk, and a self-assigned 24-7 job as a friend and mentor to dozens of reporters, columnists, editors, and photographers.
“Al was so kind and funny,” a former Inquirer colleague said on Facebook. “He made The Inquirer a better place.” Other former colleagues called him “a sage and an icon” and “a real pro and fun to be around.”
Big and often boisterous — everybody called him Moose — Mr. Campbell was the son of a newspaper reporter, and he was adept at polishing prose, detecting mistakes, and working with reporters and photographers, usually over the phone. “Moosey looked out for us,” a former colleague said on Facebook.
Mr. Campbell (center) “was a stickler for details,” his brother Bob said. Courtesy of the family
He came up with witty headlines and captions, had years of practical and institutional knowledge of Philadelphia politics, culture, and sports, and worked nimbly on deadline, making him a favorite of other editors and page designers. He also served as a newsroom union steward.
“He was a stickler for details,” his brother Bob said. “People said his favorite saying was: ‘I got you covered.’”
A photographer said on Facebook: “He saved my neck many times with caption corrections.” Longtime Inquirer colleague Don McKee said: “He was diligent and took the job seriously. He actually cared about what we wrote and what went in the paper.”
Away from the newsroom, Mr. Campbell organized softball games between Inquirer staffers and hosted memorable late-into-the-night parties at his home in the Northeast. He was quick with a joke and “put a smile on everyone’s face,” a longtime friend said.
Mr. Campbell and his wife, Jean, married in 1980.Courtesy of the family
Alan Douglas Campbell was born Oct. 10, 1951. He was on track and basketball teams in high school, joined the Boy Scouts and Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and studied at Temple University briefly before going into newspapers full-time.
He met Jean Hunsberger in school. They reconnected at their 10-year high school reunion in 1979, married in 1980, and lived in a cozy house he called Moose Manor. His wife died in 2022.
Mr. Campbell was fascinated by trains and public transportation, and he rode his bicycle as a boy to nearby train stations to watch the locomotives roar by. Later, he rode the trains to the suburbs and Washington, and assembled an extensive collection of model trains that he displayed at his home.
Mr. Campbell was a cat lover. Courtesy of the family
He loved cats, old movies, and comedy shows. He celebrated his Scottish heritage and became licensed as a massage therapist.
“Moose was one of a kind,” a former colleague said. His brother Bob said: “He was the most gentle soul on the planet.”
In addition to his brother, Mr. Campbell is survived by a brother, Tom, and other relatives.
A celebration of his life is to be held later.
Donations in his name may be made to the Pennsylvania SPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19134.
Mr. Campbell started his 46-year career at The Inquirer in 1970.Courtesy of the familyMr. Campbell was a playing manager for the Horsham Neighbors softball team in the 1980s.Courtesy of the family
Philadelphia is now officially under the rule of King James. And his newly minted subjects, it seems, couldn’t be happier.
LeBron James, the legendary NBA player and one of the most famous humans on the planet, is coming to Philly after having agreed to a two-year contract with the Sixers on Friday. The move, though one of the more improbable roster additions in franchise history, is real — and officially commemorated at the highest levels of state government.
“Pennsylvania is honored to welcome LeBron James to our Commonwealth as he joins the Philadelphia 76ers for his best season yet,” Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a proclamation declaring Friday, July 24, 2026, as LeBron James Day. The day, he added, would honor James’ “bright future in Philadelphia,” among other achievements and anticipations.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker likewise welcomed the news, writing in a statement that the city would welcome James “into our One Philly Family with open arms and electric energy.”
“Trust me when I say: We are rolling out the welcoming mat starting Day One!” Parker said. “We cannot wait to see you shine on the court.”
Though months away from that debut on the court as a Sixer, James’ arrival to the team prompted a flurry of shock and support from fans and players alike, with seemingly every local establishment, institution, and celebrity offering a meme or message of disbelief. In fact, Philly’s pro athletes seemed among the most excited about James coming to town.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, for example, almost immediately extended a golf invite to James after the news broke, asking via social media when the forthcoming Sixer wanted to “tee up.” Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey had a more primal reaction, simply posting a video of him screaming in excitement in a gym.
James himself, meanwhile, was more staid in explaining his decision via social media. After nearly two-dozen seasons in the NBA, James wrote, he thought he was done playing, but decided he continued to love the game and had more to give.
“I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,” James wrote. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.”
Some Sixers fans were beside themselves, with at least one ordering a Chantilly cake from Whole Foods to celebrate. Lydia Victor, a Northeast Philly graphic designer and sports content creator, had the bakery write “Trust the Process 23” in red frosting on top of the confection, and planned to cut it later in the day with her father, who went to college in Ohio, and is James’ biggest fan, she said.
Whether a James-led Sixers squad can actually win a championship was almost inconsequential Friday, though Victor already was designing plans to celebrate on Broad Street. The fact that James chose Philadelphia brought her more happiness than a championship (or potentially getting married or having kids) might. She likened the moment to Meredith Grey’s iconic monologue in the TV show Grey’s Anatomy imploring Derek Shepherd to choose her.
“It’s just the mindset that Philly isn’t always considered a big market and the national media usually counts us out when it comes to acquiring big-name free agents,” she said. But this time, things were different.
“We were picked!” she said.
Darnell Butts, 56, said there’s no way the Sixers would have landed James had former general manager Daryl Morey still been in charge. Butts was optimistic about the Sixers’ championship chances, and excited for the team’s younger stars to learn from a player he calls the greatest of all time. Butts said he wants to welcome James in Philly fashion.
“Get a Philly cheesesteak, it’s on Darnell Butts. Meet me at Reading Terminal,” he said.
The historic nature of the day was seemingly reflected in professional sports’ enduring fan barometer — merchandise sales. By early Friday afternoon, Fanatics said it was already sold out of some Sixers-branded James jerseys.
Within two hours of the news breaking, all first editions of the No. 23 jerseys were sold out on the Fanatics website. The adult royal blue, white, and red Swingman premium jerseys had been selling for $124.99, in line with the price of similar jerseys for other Sixers stars. Youth jerseys had also been available to preorder for $69.99.
Fanatics was also selling James’ 2026-2027 Topps trading card, the one he signed and posted on Instagram after announcing his decision to come to Philly. The cards were selling for between $11.99 for a single card and $169.99 for a 20-pack. Fanatics acquired Topps in 2022.
The company planned to add additional James merchandise in short order Friday.
July 24, however, would live on as a historic date, some fans said.
Raymond Davis took the train into 30th Street Station to play basketball at Schuylkill River Park. Before leaving his home in Mount Airy, he put on his Tyrese Maxey jersey to hoop in — not knowing James would sign with his favorite team shortly after.
Davis met up with a few friends on the way to Schuylkill River Park. One of them, Christopher Gaines, was just as excited as Davis and ready to write the day down in history books.
“The king of basketball’s coming to Philly — the city of sports — and this is like a great day, a great moment,” Davis said. “You know what? July 24, I will always remember as ‘King Bron Day’ — the day LeBron came to Philly.”
Staff writers Gabriela Carroll, Erin McCarthy, Gina Mizell, Matt Mullin, and Andrea Padilla contributed to this article.
LeBron James met Donovan McNabb, ordered a cheesesteak in South Philly, and stayed at a hotel just a few blocks from City Hall when he visited Philadelphia for the first time. But James — then a high school senior — had no interest in trekking to the Liberty Bell.
“LeBron was giving me a lot of flak about it,” said Jeremy Treatman, who organized the showcase at the Palestra in December 2002 that brought James to Philly. “I said, ‘I cannot in good faith let you come to Philadelphia and not go to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.’ I remember him saying, ‘I don’t want to see no damn bell.’”
James returned to Philadelphia on Friday as an all-time great, signing a two-year contract with the Sixers that should cap his NBA career in the city he toured as a teenager. He arrived here in 2002 as a 17-year-old who just wanted to play basketball six months before turning pro.
James was such a draw — Sports Illustrated labeled him “The Chosen One” earlier that year — that Treatman sold out the Palestra without advertising the game between James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary High of Akron, Ohio, and Philly’s Strawberry Mansion.
James was an attraction like the Liberty Bell.
“I had an office at 1420 Walnut St. and people were just coming off the street and coming up the elevator and buying tickets left and right,” said Treatman, who started organizing high school basketball games three years earlier. “It was great. Once or twice or three times in my lifetime, I could imagine a moment like that.”
Treatman heard about James a year earlier and went to Akron to see him play. Treatman had been an assistant at Lower Merion when Kobe Bryant was a high schooler. He called Gregg Downer, the Lower Merion coach, and said he was watching another Bryant.
“I said, ‘I think I just saw someone as good if not better than Kobe, and I can’t believe what I’m saying,’” Treatman said.
He contacted St. Vincent-St. Mary with a proposal to host a series of games the next season. Treatman sent a fax to James’ coach with the plan: Madison Square Garden, Ohio State, University of Dayton, the Palestra, and the University of North Carolina.
“He called the next day and said, ‘You can get us to play at the Palestra?’ I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Treatman said. “He called back three hours later and said, ‘I’ve always wanted to play at the Palestra. We’re in.’ I was like, ‘Holy s—. This is really happening.’ They all happened, except for Madison Square Garden. I chickened out on that one. They wanted $90,000, and I certainly didn’t have that money back then. But I should’ve borrowed it. I should’ve.”
Chester, St. Joseph’s Prep, and Cardinal Dougherty would have given James’ squad a better game. But none of those teams had Maureece Rice, who was nearing Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia high school scoring record. Treatman knew that Rice, who was nicknamed “The Score Lord,” playing James would be an event.
The team from the Public League was happy to get picked to play James.
“You have to understand something: We’re from the Strawberry Mansion section of North Philadelphia,” said Marc Starling, then a Mansion assistant. “That’s big time to be able to play someone so great in your city. We felt very honored. Now, I’m so glad he picked the Sixers. I’m an older guy, and I haven’t been this excited about a player coming to Philadelphia since the Sixers got Dr. J. You believe that?”
The event included other games, as Kyle Lowry’s Dougherty squad and a Penn Charter team featuring future NFL quarterback Matt Ryan served as opening acts for James vs. Rice.
“This place held 8,117, and somehow 9,000 people got in,” Treatman said. “I know I was at fault for letting at least 100 extra media people come in. I remember Howard Eskin was late, and I gave him a ticket. World Wide Wes [basketball power broker William Wesley] and Allen Iverson came late, and we got them in. There were no seats. There was this crazy aura to see this guy who people were hearing could be the greatest player of all time. So everyone wanted to see him.”
LeBron James’ mother, Gloria, watches the 2002 game between St. Vincent-St. Mary and Strawberry Mansion at the Palestra.Peter Tobia / Staff Photographer
The game was a 85-47 blowout, as Strawberry Mansion could not keep pace with James’ squad, which was the No. 1 team in the country with three Division I players.
“The most important thing I remember about that game was just how humble they were and their sportsmanship,” Starling said. “They were a national team. We were a local team. The score showed the difference, but their attitude was great. They had a lot of respect for Maureece. It’s like it was yesterday. It’s a blessing to see LeBron’s growth from there to now.”
The many fans were restless as James’ squad pulled away. Treatman remembered James’ mother starting to push back against the Philly fans. Finally, the crowd got what it wanted. With seven minutes left, James pointed to Rice and told everyone else to get out of the way.
“They played one-on-one for about a four-minute stretch in a team basketball game,” Treatman said. “It was the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen. LeBron was brilliant. He said, ‘This is what the fans came to see. The game’s out of hand. Let’s have some fun here.’ That was pretty remarkable. I remember saying, ‘LeBron is so smart. Like a marketing genius.’”
LeBron James hugs Maureece Rice in the final minutes of their game at the Palestra in 2002. Peter Tobia
James knocked down a three in front of Rice. And then Rice brought the ball down the court as the crowd stood. He hit a crossover dribble as James slipped on the court as if he was on skates. The crowd roared, and some fans came onto the court.
“I had him set up, crossed one way, and he went the other way,” Rice said in 2011 before James played at the Palestra during the NBA lockout. “Next thing you know, he fell, and the crowd just went bananas. LeBron was the No. 1 player, and the things he does now, it’s something no one will forget.”
Forget that Rice’s ensuing three-pointer didn’t even touch the rim and that James’ squad won by 38. The crossover — and the reaction of the crowd — became an iconic moment in Philly hoops.
“It’s sort of like when Allen Iverson crossed over [Michael] Jordan as a rookie,” Starling said. “It was showing the world that Maureece Rice was very good, too. He was an exceptional basketball player. It was like being a father and seeing your son do something so great and show the world what you already knew he could do. That’s how I felt when I saw him make his move. I had been coaching him since the seventh grade and that was one of the proudest moments. He didn’t hit the shot, but he showed the world what he was about.”
The game aired live on cable and James was interviewed afterward by Gregg Murphy, now a Phillies radio broadcaster.
“The atmosphere was really great,” James told him. “All of these people came to watch these two teams play. It was great for the community and for our school, for Akron, Ohio. I like stuff like this. It was pretty fun.”
NBA great LeBron James dunking at the Palestra as a high school standout from Akron, Ohio, in 2002.Jennifer Midberry / Staff Photographer
James asked his coach to tell Treatman they weren’t going to the Liberty Bell. But the coach said he had to go. He wanted the trip to be more than just basketball. They met with McNabb and Andy Reid at the Eagles’ practice facility, ate cheesesteaks at Pat’s, and then went to Independence Hall.
“The guide at Independence Hall started talking about the history of slaves and the history of Black people in Philadelphia,” Treatman said. “All of a sudden, LeBron and his teammates started asking question after question after question. They really enjoyed the education. That was my whole point. You’re coming to Philadelphia, and this is the birthplace of America. You have to learn what happened here.”
Treatman dropped the team off at the airport the day after the game and said farewell to the kid who would become a great.
“He came up and shook my hand and said, ‘Thanks for taking us to the Liberty Bell,’” Treatman said. “‘That was the most meaningful moment of the weekend for me.’ That was 24 years ago. It’s kind of incredible and surreal that it’s happening now. I hope it’s a great final chapter and he becomes the first guy to win a championship with four different teams.”
