{"id":5024,"date":"2026-07-27T06:37:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=5024"},"modified":"2026-07-27T06:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:37:48","slug":"james-and-harper-were-teenage-sensations-both-signed-in-philly-can-they-win-a-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=5024","title":{"rendered":"James and Harper were teenage sensations. Both signed in Philly. Can they win a title?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHILADELPHIA \u2014 LeBron James and Bryce Harper spent their careers on a parallel path toward stardom.<\/p>\n

Read more Hometown star Frances Tiafoe, tennis legend Venus Williams, upstart Alex Eala headline DC Open<\/a><\/p>\n

They were teenage phenoms who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (back when magazines were cool) and both prodigies were No. 1 overall draft picks straight out of high school.<\/p>\n

When Harper earned his first chance at testing free agency, there was only one city, one contract that was right for him.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

It took a few years, but Harper has some company on the short list of top elite athletes who have signed in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Harper and the Phillies.<\/p>\n

Pete Rose and Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies.<\/p>\n

Saquon Barkley and Reggie White and the Eagles.<\/p>\n

In the greatest July signature in Philadelphia since 1776, James has followed Harper from free agency to Philly when he rocked the NBA and signed a two-year deal for the bargain-basement price of $8 million total – only a smidge more per season than first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. will earn – that stamped the Sixers as the most compelling team in the league this season.<\/p>\n

Keeping tabs on the ballyhooed deal is Harper.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone\u2019s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else,\u201d Harper said. \u201cSo nothing new for him. He\u2019s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the difference between James and all the superstars in the city that played before him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s LeBron James.<\/p>\n

Meaning, his reach is so beyond the court \u2014 from fame around the globe to his bank account to the cash register to pop culture \u2014 that there is no fair comparison. He is No. 4 on Forbes\u2019 real-time list of wealthiest athletes at $1.4 billon, so his pay cut may not even be noticed in the ledger book. James has commercials and movie roles, and endorsement deals that alone would outearn every single player on the Sixers.<\/p>\n

Joel Embiid, league MVP and two-time scoring champion. He\u2019s not LeBron.<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown, NBA Finals MVP and champion, He\u2019s not LeBron.<\/p>\n

Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star and the real franchise player in Philly. He\u2019s not LeBron.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s pretty cool to have one of the greatest basketball players ever to play, in the same city,\u201d Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. \u201cSo I\u2019m excited for those who haven\u2019t gotten a chance to see him play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are the CliffsNotes:<\/p>\n

James is a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and a member of the NBA\u2019s 75th anniversary team.<\/p>\n

He also is coming off a season when he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s played in big markets before,\u201d Harper said. \u201cHe knows exactly what he needs to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Suspect in Berlin Pride stabbing spree killed by police<\/a><\/p>\n

Harper has largely lived up to the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019 season when he spurned the Washington Nationals for the Phillies and owned the richest contract in baseball history. He led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, won the NL MVP in 2021 and helped win back-to-back NL East titles.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s 0-for-October.<\/p>\n

Barkley rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his first season with the Eagles and led them to a Super Bowl championship.<\/p>\n

Rose was the missing piece to help Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton win the World Series in 1980. It was the first World Series title in franchise history.<\/p>\n

The 76ers have seemed to wait almost as long for a parade down Broad Street.<\/p>\n

They have won titles in Philadelphia in 1967 and 1983 and have failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.<\/p>\n

And yet somehow, one of the most famous athletes – strike that, people! – walking and dunking on the face of the Earth decided he wanted to play in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going for money. I\u2019m not going for family,\u201d James wrote Friday on social media. \u201cWhat am I really playing for at this point? 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill\u2019s \u201cDreams and Nightmares,\u201d the adopted sports anthem of city teams blasted ad nauseam throughout the sports complex.<\/p>\n

The video ends with the lyric, \u201chold up, wait a minute. Y\u2019all thought I was finished?\u201d and cuts to a 76ers logo.<\/p>\n

James isn\u2019t finished \u2014 even if his best isn\u2019t yet to come.<\/p>\n

He won NBA titles at each of his three previous stops – Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers – and could become the first player ever to win a title with four teams.<\/p>\n

The countdown to opening night is on.<\/p>\n

The stakes have really never been higher for the franchise. If the Sixers can\u2019t win with the Beatles shirt \u2014 LeBron & Embiid & Brown & Maxey \u2014 can they ever?<\/p>\n

Get ready, everyone.<\/p>\n

And skip the advice.<\/p>\n

James doesn\u2019t need any tips on surviving the deep fryer of fandom in Philly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can do whatever the hell he wants,\u201d Harper said. \u201cBut the city loves a winner. So win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s border czar says vetting of ICE officer is under internal review after Maine shooting<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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