LAS VEGAS -- As LeBron James' free agency decision extends into its second week, the Philadelphia 76ers have kept up their pursuit of the four-time champion through three of their players, league sources told ESPN.
Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have all been in communication with James, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, with Maxey leading the charge.
The 25-year-old Maxey, a fellow Klutch Sports client who has trained with James in the offseason for the past several years, has referred to the 41-year-old star as a "big brother" in the past.
Embiid, the 2022-23 league MVP, teamed with James to win a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And Brown, who James had playoff battles with in the past when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brown was on the Boston Celtics, received an MVP endorsement from James in February.
"He's playing great basketball, man," James said at the time. "This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well. Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season."
James also praised the Philadelphia fan base after he scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter -- shooting 5-for-6 from the field, mostly on jump shots -- to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-108 win last December.
"One thing you know about Philly fans, they don't care about anybody besides their home teams and I respect and I love that," James said. "I've played here, for obviously 23 years, a lot more when I was in Eastern Conference. But to be able to have an appreciation for the City of Brotherly Love and for me to go out and still play the game that I love and them respect it, whatever the case may be -- if they do -- it's pretty cool."
Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday the Sixers remain one of the top potential destinations for James, along with the Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
Bob Myers, the president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Sixers, was a recent guest on the "Game Over" podcast, hosted by Rich Paul -- James' agent and the CEO of Klutch Sports -- and Max Kellerman to pitch Philadelphia as a landing spot.
"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,'" Myers said. "What I would just say is, if it's about winning, let's talk about this team. Because you can win here in Philadelphia."
Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was an executive with the Cavs during James' second stint in Cleveland and competed against him when they were both high school players in Northeast Ohio, echoed Myers' sentiments Monday.
"We've had conversations with Rich, really, since the Jaylen trade," Gansey told The Athletic. "LeBron and his camp have kept quiet, and there has been speculation for different teams. But we'd obviously love to have LeBron. I respect the heck out of him. In my opinion, he's the best player of all time."
James will be in New York this week for a string of public appearances. On Thursday, James will appear at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center for two events: the Game Plan business and sports summit, hosted by the Boardroom's Rich Kleiman and CNBC, and for a live taping of his podcast "Mind the Game" with Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton as the guest.
Later Thursday, James will be honored at the Time 100 gala for being named the magazine's "Athlete of the Century."
On Friday, James will be back at Fanatics Fest for a live taping of his barbershop-style talk show, "The Shop," with tennis great Novak Djokovic part of the cast, along with Maverick Carter, Travis Bennett and Steelo Brim.