As the NBA world waits for LeBron James to reveal where he’ll play this upcoming season, the Sixers continue to make their pitch. 

Sixers owner Josh Harris had a brief and friendly conversation with James on Friday, July 17, during a VIP event at the Fanatics Fest in New York, a source confirmed with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. 

The source also confirmed that Harris – along with Sixers players Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown – have all let James know that they would love to have him join the team and that the city of Philadelphia would welcome him with open arms. 

The Sixers are one of the final teams that James is reportedly considering joining. The other teams include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. The NBA’s career scoring king and current free agent spoke publicly for the first time in weeks Thursday afternoon, though stopped short of revealing which team he’ll choose to play for this fall. 

The four-time NBA champion was recording an episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast alongside guest co-host Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers in New York on the opening day of Fanatics Fest, a four-day event featuring dozens of athletes, celebrities and sports legends. 

An 11-year-old asked James about free agency and developing his next team — “first of all, that was a hell of a question and some of the media people here probably should learn from the young fella,” James said — and the youngster got perhaps the best answer of the session, with James indicating that the 2026-27 season may not necessarily be his last as a player.

“It’s a big decision for not only myself, but for my family as well,” James said. “Just for the last part of my career and where I want to spend the last few years or the last year or the last two years of my NBA career … I’m going to try to fit into whatever team I’m going into, but also give them all the tools and give them all the knowledge that I’ve been able to grasp over the last 23 years. I know the game. I know the ins and outs of the game of basketball.”

On Friday, July 17, the second day  of Fanatics Fest, James had Sixers fans in a frenzy during a live taping of his show “The Shop.” James repeatedly used the term “trusting the process” when talking about making his decision. “Trust the process” was the slogan of former Sixers president and general manager Sam Hinkie that was embraced by the team’s fanbase. 

Even after a mixed reaction from the crowd, which included Sixers fans, James didn’t reveal his decision. 

Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, openly discussed James’ free agency on the “Game Over” podcast with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and Max Kellerman. Paul had named the Sixers as a potential destination for James on a previous podcast. 

Myers led the front office search this summer that concluded with Mike Gansey becoming the Sixers’ new president of basketball operations. He touched on many topics in the podcast, including the intangibles of NBA team-building and the current state of the Eastern Conference. As far as James, he recognized that the 22-time All-Star has a deep understanding of the NBA and is unlikely to be dramatically swayed by any individual pitch. 

“Let’s be honest: Whatever I say doesn’t really matter to what he’s going to do,” Myers said. “And I’m OK saying that.” 

Still, Myers didn’t mind laying out a case for the Sixers, who feel they’ve seriously strengthened their team by trading for Jaylen Brown. They’ve also drafted Labaron Philon Jr. and signed Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Ariel Hukporti.

“When you’re talking about the Sixers, if he was here I’d say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win. You have to decide all the other things that are equally important.’ It’s his life, right? He has to play. He has to face the scrutiny of his decision,” Myers said. “Half the people will say, ‘You should’ve done this’ or ‘You should’ve done that’ and criticize him for whatever. It’s his life; he’s been through all that.”

“What I would just say is, ‘If it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team, because you can win here in Philadelphia.’”