Allen Iverson believes the Philadelphia 76ers made the move they needed by signing LeBron James, calling the four-time NBA champion the final piece of a roster built to compete for an NBA title.
Appearing on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the Hall of Fame guard expressed excitement about James joining his former franchise and said the expectations in Philadelphia should be as high as possible.
“Just ecstatic, man. You know I’m just happy for the city of Philadelphia, man. For the team, you know what I mean? The type of player he is, the type of person he is,” Iverson said. “I’m just happy, man. He brings a lot, you know what I mean? He really is the answer.”
Iverson’s praise comes after an offseason that dramatically reshaped the 76ers. Philadelphia added James in free agency and after completing a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown, sending Paul George and multiple first-round picks to the Boston Celtics. The franchise also signed Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti while selecting Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Those additions follow a 2025-26 season in which the 76ers finished 45-37, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference before advancing through the Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia eliminated Boston in a seven-game first-round series but was swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers last season with 28.3 points and 6.6 assists per game while earning All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors. Joel Embiid averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds in just 38 games because of injuries, while rookie VJ Edgecombe contributed 16.0 points per contest and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Iverson believes James significantly raises Philadelphia’s championship ceiling regardless of the roster around him.
“I mean that’s the added piece, you know what I mean, that we needed,” Iverson said. “Obviously, you put him on any team to me, you know what I mean? You definitely have a chance, but obviously a whole lot of things got to go right, you know what I mean, during the season.”
The former NBA MVP emphasized that health remains the biggest variable, but he pointed to James’ experience and leadership as qualities that separate him from nearly every player in league history.
“Definitely health, but as far as, you know, the leadership, the talent, you know what I mean? The man, the wars that he’s been in and you know him being familiar with every type of situation that happens on a basketball court,” Iverson said. “He just boosts the percentage of any team having a chance to win a championship and any team having, you know, big-time success, man.”
Iverson finished by reiterating why expectations should now be measured by championships rather than playoff appearances.
“He’s one of them ones, man,” Iverson said. “You know what I mean? He’s the king for a reason.”
