Joel Embiid has made it no secret that he'd love LeBron James to link up with himself and Ben Simmons in Philly next season. The Sixers big man has often publicly recruited the former Cavs superstar and now that James has officially become an unrestricted free agent, Embiid's squad are certainly in the running to land the four-time MVP. James is unlikely to return to the Cavs, and other than the Lakers, there are few situations that he would prefer than landing in Philadelphia with two uber-talented young stars that he can build with for the future. Simmons is fresh off winner rookie of the year, whilst Embiid made his first All Star appearance in 2017, and adding James into that mix along with some of the other shooters on the roster would certainly make the Sixers an immediate contender. However, the Lakers are the clear front runner to land James, even after Paul George decided to re-sign with the Thunder, and their publicly aggressive pursuit of Kawhi Leonard only makes that eventuality more likely. Going to LA and winning a title alongside Leonard and whoever else Magic Johnson is able to recruit would cement James' legacy as possibly the greatest to ever play the game, especially having won a ring with three different teams. His brand would be elevated astronomically by the move should it prove successful on the court or not, but Embiid wanted to remind James of something before he chooses to ply his trade there. "The Lakers are FOREVER gonna be Kobe’s and Magic’s team…. Process that." Embiid tweeted. Even if LeBron goes to LA and wins a ring or two, or even three, it'll never be his house. That's what Embiid thinks anyway, and he's probably not wrong given all the history that those two all time greats have with the Lakers franchise.

However, should he go to the Philly and win a couple of titles, even the achievements of Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving would struggle to live up to the level of excitement and success that LeBron would bring to the franchise and it's title-starved fanbase. 

Philly last won an NBA Championship in 1983, a year before James was even born. 

He'll make history wherever he goes if he wins another ring, but as Embiid notes, the Lakers have had success in every era with a number of players leading the charge and James would simply be the next guy there. 

With the Sixers though, he has a chance to become the franchise's most adored player since Allen Iverson and Dr J, and deliver the fanbase something that most of them have been waiting for their whole lives. 

For James though, it might not matter, he already owns the title of the best player in franchise history in one and possibly two cities. He doesn't need that to top his resume off, he needs titles, and the Lakers probably give him the better chance to build to win providing they can secure Leonard's services. 

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