The Four-Word Text Rich Paul Sent to the 76ers to Announce LeBron James’s Decision

James is coming off an eight-season stint with the Lakers, which is the longest stretch he has spent with a single team in his career. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It has been almost a week since free agent LeBron James shocked the sports world by choosing the championship-challenged 76ers as his next destination, but extra color and context surrounding the consequential decision continues to trickle out day by day.

Case in point: A wide-ranging ESPN article published Wednesday, wherein reporter Dave McMenamin took readers behind the scenes of the King’s incredibly private process and pulled back the curtain on some of the conversations that happened during the 24-day judgment period.

One of many notable tidbits from the piece? Rich Paul, James’s longtime friend and agent, informed the Sixers of ‘Bron’s choice via text, and in a message that had just four words.

Here's what happened:

In the early hours of July 24th, James was “finally at peace with his decision, and he called Paul with the news,” McMenamin wrote in his Wednesday report. Paul was then meant to reach out to Philadelphia in the morning and inform the team that it had successfully lured perhaps the most attractive free agent in league history to join its ranks.

Hours later, Paul shared a message with a “contingent of 76ers stakeholders,” per McMenamin, including team governor Josh Harris, co-owner David Blitzer, Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey and Philly guard Tyrese Maxey (also a client of Paul’s), among others.

“Congrats,” Paul wrote. “Sixers it is.”

Just four words. Simple, yet effective.

76ers president Mike Gansey wasn’t the most popular person in his Ohio neighborhood after landing LeBron James

Notably, one of the message’s recipients was in Ohio at the time of receipt: Gansey, the team’s president of basketball operations. The Sixers rep is from Olmsted Falls and is familiar with James from their time in the state’s basketball scene years ago; he also worked for the Cavs for more than a decade.

“I’m like, ‘Babe, we just got LeBron,’” Gansey told ESPN, recounting how he shared the news with his wife first. “She’s like, ‘What?!’ I’ll never forget that. And just seeing Rich’s texts and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, here we go.’”

After that, “I walked around the block probably for two hours,” he continued. “Some of my neighbors were coming out looking at me like, ‘What the hell? You took him!’

“Being in Cleveland, obviously, a little bittersweet, I guess.”

Looking at it now, there were in fact signs that James hadn't counted Philly out of the process, even as the days dragged on. For one, he had Paul ask the team about the possibility of living out of state (reports suggest he plans to live at least part-time in New York City and commute in to practice and play). And for another, as McMenamin pointed out, James was talking openly with Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Maxey, “which convinced the execs that [his] interest was genuine.”

And lastly, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that James also spoke on the phone with coach Nick Nurse, who was “the only coach from any of the teams he was considering that he talked to,” per McMenamin. “The signs were all there.”

That wasn’t necessarily true from a public perspective—the majority of fans believed ‘Bron’s top three were the Heat, Cavs and Warriors—but it just goes to show that what happens behind closed doors can really change everything. And that as much as we all love to prognosticate and prophesize on social media, we really don’t know diddly squat.

---

More NBA From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.