LeBron James Won't Say Whether 76ers Deal Is His Final NBA Contract

At 76ers media day, LeBron James declined to call his current contract his final one, two months after announcing his free-agent choice on X.

LeBron James is not ready to declare his current deal with the Philadelphia 76ers the final contract of his NBA career. Addressing reporters at the team's media day on Monday, Sept. 28, the Akron native left the question open when asked what might come after the agreement he signed this summer.

James described a day-to-day approach built around what he can give the franchise while he is on the roster. "I don't want to speak into the future right now," he said, adding that projecting too far ahead would take away from the present and, in effect, deny himself grace at this point in his career.

He was matter-of-fact about where he stands. James noted that he is in year 24 and that no similar stretch will follow it, so his focus is on staying in the moment and letting everything else unfold.

The open-ended stance marks a change in tone from the summer, when his decision took several weeks to arrive. James kept Cleveland and the wider NBA world waiting while a courtship played out, with the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat among the teams pursuing him before Philadelphia ultimately landed him.

When he announced his choice in an extended post on X on July 24, the language sounded far more conclusive. He called the decision his last one, said he was not choosing on the basis of money or family, and framed his reasoning around a question he posed to himself about what he is really playing for at this point.

The answer, he wrote, was an ongoing willingness to sacrifice and put in the work, together with a desire to compete for the feeling that comes with winning another championship. He added that his love for the game has not faded and that he believes he still has more to offer. The preceding weeks, he wrote, had been special, giving him real time to think with the people he loves after a stretch in which he genuinely did not know what came next.

The post also set out what he expects from his time in Philadelphia. James wrote that he believes he can help deliver a championship there and said he was excited to bring his energy to a new fan base. He described the move as the start of an incredible journey "one last time," and closed with a thank-you to Los Angeles, lasting affection for Miami and a note that Northeast Ohio will always be home.

Taken together, the July post and Monday's comments leave the duration of James's stay in Philadelphia unresolved as he prepares for his 24th season and his first with the 76ers. What has stayed constant in both, by his own account, is the reason he chose the city: a belief that he can still help a team capture a championship, and the desire to feel that again.