{
  "id": 10590787,
  "title": "LeBron James Reveals He Nearly Joined the Knicks Before Landing with 76ers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/lebron-james-reveals-he-nearly-joined-the-knicks-before-landing-with",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T02:33:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lebron-james-reveals-nearly-joined-023336430.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "LeBron James, 41, revealed in an ESPN interview on Sept. 28 that the Madison Square Garden was where he once imagined ending his NBA career. The basketball star announced his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he won the championship with in 2020. James expressed his admiration for the Garden, calling it \"the number one arena in the world\" for a basketball player. He emphasized that joining the Knicks would not have been possible due to the intense public scrutiny he would have faced. Instead, James pointed to fellow Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, a close friend, as the primary factor in his decision to join the Philadelphia team for his 24th NBA season. James initially announced his departure from the Lakers in June, with his agent Rich Paul confirming the move to ESPN. Throughout his time with the Lakers, James achieved numerous milestones, including winning the 2020 championship. Most recently, he made history by playing alongside his son Bronny, 21, the first father-son duo to do so in the NBA. The 76ers will face the Knicks in their first preseason game on Oct. 5.",
  "summary": "James spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before deciding to move east",
  "key_points": [
    "LeBron James considered joining Knicks before signing with 76ers.",
    "James admired Madison Square Garden as top basketball arena.",
    "Tyrese Maxey influenced James' decision to join Philadelphia team."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}