LeBron James took a risk going to the 76ers this offseason. So far, it’s paying off.
The Philadelphia 76ers have the most wins in the NBA entering Friday, and their high-powered starting five has jelled quickly to form an undeniable title contender.Mitchell Leff / GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 6, 2026, 6:04 AM ESTBy Rohan NadkarniWhen his agent, Rich Paul, revealed on a whiteboard the teams likeliest to sign him in the summer, LeBron James appeared to be choosing among five contenders after he entered free agency: the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, in something of a surprise, picked the 76ers. And through the (very) early part of this season, he appears to have chosen wisely.
Philadelphia is 8-1 after a win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The 76ers have the most wins in the NBA entering Friday, and their high-powered starting five has jelled quickly to form an undeniable title contender.
In addition to signing James, Philly traded for swingman Jaylen Brown in the offseason, forming a starting five of James, Brown, Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe and Joel Embiid.
Those five players have combined for 36 All-Star selections, five MVP awards and five Finals MVP awards. So it’s perhaps unsurprising the group has been great together on the floor.
In 77 minutes together across five games, the Sixers’ starting five has outscored opponents by 15 points. Philadelphia’s opening quintet is dominating defensively, holding opponents to only 95.4 points per 100 possessions. (For context, the league’s best defense entering Thursday was holding opponents to 103 points per 100 possessions.)
“Our defense is going to be our identity,” James said Wednesday after the win over the Pistons. “We have a lot of scoring. We know that from individuals. We’re still figuring out that side of the floor out on the offensive side. Defensively, that’s where we are going to make our mark.”
James has meshed well with all of his co-stars so far. All two-man lineups featuring a combo of James plus one of Maxey, Brown, Embiid and Edgecombe have outscored opponents through the team’s first nine games.
Through his first seven games, James is averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists a night.Mitchell Leff / GettyJames is clearly pacing himselfPlaying on a roster loaded with talent, James has seemingly been happy to become one of the best role players in the NBA.
Through his first seven games, James is averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists a night. His scoring average, field-goal attempts per game (13.1) and free-throw attempts (4.4) are all on pace to be career-low marks. While James hasn’t necessarily made up for the dip in efficiency — his 45.7% shooting from the field would be his lowest since his rookie season — his willingness to take a back seat has helped Maxey in particular.
FOR SUBSCRIBERSCould playing Sylvester Stallone put Anthony Ippolito in the Oscar ring?FOR SUBSCRIBERSHasan Piker draws new viewers as he jokingly ushers in ‘Woke 3.0’ on election nightFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy plunging tech stocks might be just what the market neededFOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters want the Iran war to end. It’s not that easy.FOR SUBSCRIBERSBird flu didn’t turn into a pandemic, but it never went away, eitherFOR SUBSCRIBERSMany Republicans leaned into the ‘culture wars’ on the campaign trail. It didn’t work.FOR SUBSCRIBERSA district-level look at the huge shifts across the House battlefieldFOR SUBSCRIBERSAnticipation, optimism take hold as Mississippi’s Senate race becomes a nail-biterFOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Everyone was mad’: How anger helped fuel Latino voter turnout and Democratic shift in TexasFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocrats’ midterm win threatens to disrupt Trump’s fragile truce with XiFOR SUBSCRIBERSScott Colom criticizes Democrats for writing off Mississippi amid close Senate vote countFOR SUBSCRIBERSAre we approaching a new era of Alzheimer’s prevention?FOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over GOP education agenda fueled blue sweeps in Texas, advocates sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSMicroplastics are altering the color of the ocean, and the changes can be seen from spaceSlide 1 of 1For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSCould playing Sylvester Stallone put Anthony Ippolito in the Oscar ring?FOR SUBSCRIBERSHasan Piker draws new viewers as he jokingly ushers in ‘Woke 3.0’ on election nightFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy plunging tech stocks might be just what the market neededFOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters want the Iran war to end. It’s not that easy.FOR SUBSCRIBERSBird flu didn’t turn into a pandemic, but it never went away, eitherFOR SUBSCRIBERSMany Republicans leaned into the ‘culture wars’ on the campaign trail. It didn’t work.FOR SUBSCRIBERSA district-level look at the huge shifts across the House battlefieldFOR SUBSCRIBERSAnticipation, optimism take hold as Mississippi’s Senate race becomes a nail-biterFOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Everyone was mad’: How anger helped fuel Latino voter turnout and Democratic shift in TexasFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocrats’ midterm win threatens to disrupt Trump’s fragile truce with XiFOR SUBSCRIBERSScott Colom criticizes Democrats for writing off Mississippi amid close Senate vote countFOR SUBSCRIBERSAre we approaching a new era of Alzheimer’s prevention?FOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over GOP education agenda fueled blue sweeps in Texas, advocates sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSMicroplastics are altering the color of the ocean, and the changes can be seen from spaceSlide 1 of 1The speedy guard is averaging 28.0 points on a career-best 48.6% shooting.
“It was a long offseason for me,” Maxey said this month. “I worked on my passing. I worked on my isolation scoring and my late-game scoring. I wanted to be able to come back with a move that I could get to late in games, because I knew we were going to need it. I knew we would need it, and I knew that I would be ready to do it.”
Said Brown: “Max has been leading the way, 100%. He’s been here. This is his team.”
Everyone has sacrificed to some degree, including Embiid, who admitted he was struggling adapting to his new role as his shot attempts diminish.
“My mindset is really on whenever I have the ball, make plays,” Embiid said. “Make the game easy for all these guys. Making the right play over and over, setting screens, get Tyrese as open as possible, Bron, all these guys.”
History already bodes well for Philly, as the four previous James-led teams to start 7-1 all made the NBA Finals.Emilee Chinn / GettyHow does this compare to previous James teams? Typically, when James joins a new team, it takes a little while for things to come together.
The 2010-11 Miami Heat, for example, started only 6-4 in their first 10 games. The team was only 9-8 after 17 games, when James famously bumped into coach Erik Spoelstra during the team’s eighth loss.
The 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers were worse, starting 5-5 when James returned home. The Cavs struggled until January, hovering around .500 until they embarked on a 12-game winning streak midseason.
The 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers started the season 4-6 and eventually missed the playoffs after James sustained a groin injury late in the year. Much of that team was turned over the following offseason after the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis.
This year’s 76ers have a chance to go 9-1 if they win Friday. And history already bodes well for Philly, as the four previous James-led teams to start 7-1 all made the NBA Finals.
“It’s too early to be talking about the Finals and things of that nature on Nov. 4,” James said Wednesday night. “We got a good team. Guys vibe with one another, guys like each other, guys enjoy being around each other.”
Rohan NadkarniRohan Nadkarni is a sports reporter for NBC News.
