The Aporia · LeBron James admits he nearly joined the Knicks before Jalen Brunson won the NBA title without him

LeBron James admits he nearly joined the Knicks before Jalen Brunson won the NBA title without him

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APA MLA Chicago

Avila, A. (2026, September 29). LeBron James admits he nearly joined the Knicks before Jalen Brunson won the NBA title without him. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/lebron-james-admits-nearly-joined-knicks-before-jalen-brunson-won-nba-title-without-him

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Quick Summary

LeBron James spoke at 76ers Media Day, discussing his decision to sign with Philadelphia after considering joining the New York Knicks over the summer. He admitted he almost signed with the Knicks but changed his mind when they won a championship without him, fearing backlash from fans. LeBron emphasized his desire for teamwork and success in Philadelphia while also hinting at his dominant role on the team.

Written by AI on 2026-09-29, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

At 76ers Media Day, LeBron James addressed the media for the first time as a Philadelphia player. After months of speculation and contract negotiations, James decided to join the 76ers in pursuit of another NBA title on the Eastern Conference side. However, before even taking a shot in a Sixers uniform, James began making excuses, suggesting that his new teammates need to work harder if they want to succeed.

James emphasized that he did not leave his family behind just to lose early in the playoffs: "If we can do that [work together], then we can be a great team. If we don't do that, then we'll be like, 'Oh man, it was a great team on paper. We had a lot of great talent, and we lost in the second round.' I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round."

Moreover, James revealed that he almost signed with the New York Knicks this summer but reconsidered after considering his goals and ambitions for the upcoming season. His comments at Media Day highlight both his ambition to win a championship and his readiness to place responsibility on his new teammates for achieving success together.

Written for “LeBron James Knicks Near Miss” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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“Article A discusses LeBron James' reasons for joining the Philadelphia 76ers, while Article B reports on LeBron's media day appearance with the team. Although both articles are about LeBron James and his new role with the 76ers, they describe different specific events.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

2 of 36 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

68/100

Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-29 · how these are computed

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Publisher

Fox News · 6507 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

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Topics

76ers Media Day Philadelphia Philly Sixers

Subjects

LeBron PERSON · 11× Philly ORG · 3× Jalen Brunson PERSON · 2× Philadelphia GPE · 2× Sixers ORG · 2× 76ers ORG · 1× FOX ORG · 1× FOX News ORG · 1× LeBron James PERSON · 1× the New York Knicks ORG · 1×

Narrative

Yet before taking a single shot in a Sixers uniform, he was already laying down excuses and tossing his new teammates under the bus. "If we can do that, then we can be a great team," he said.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-29

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2026-09-29 · Fox News

LeBron James admits he nearly joined the Knicks before Jalen Brunson won the NBA title without him · assertive framing

Claims (36 extracted, 2 hedged)

LeBron James took the mic at 76ers Media Day, sounding like classic LeBron. asserted

James → take → LeBron

After a summer of endless free agency rumors, opting out of his contract, and leaving his family on the West Coast to chase another ring in the East, he finally landed in Philadelphia. asserted

he → opt → Philadelphia

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. uncertain

page → contain → partners

If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. uncertain

News → sign → wager

This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom. asserted

that → create → newsroom

Yet before taking a single shot in a Sixers uniform, he was already laying down excuses and tossing his new teammates under the bus. "If we can do that, then we can be a great team," he said. asserted

he → take → that

"If we don't do that, then we'll be like, 'Oh man, it was a great team on paper. asserted

it → do → paper

We had a lot of great talent, and we lost in the second round.' asserted

we → have → round

I don't wanna do that. asserted

I → do → that

I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that for sure. asserted

I → leave → that

So the work needs to be done, and I'm ready to put the work in." asserted

I → need → work

If they win, he is the savior. asserted

he → win → ?

If they lose, the team on paper simply did not put in the work. asserted

team → lose → work

Then came the best part. asserted

part → come → ?

LeBron admitted he nearly signed with the New York Knicks, but backed off after they won a championship without him, knowing fans would roast him online for pulling a Kevin Durant. asserted

fans → admit → Durant

"I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden," LeBron said. asserted

LeBron → have → Garden

"One of the best places I've ever played. asserted

I → play → places

I think it's the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. asserted

it → think → player

But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, 'Hey, I can't.' asserted

I → beat → Antonio

I couldn't do it. asserted

I → do → it

Y'all wouldn't have let me lay that down, at all. asserted

me → let → that

" "But much respect to the Knicks, obviously," LeBron added. asserted

LeBron → add → Knicks

I love that guy, he's unbelievable. asserted

he → love → guy

But, yeah, I'm happy where I'm at, and I'm looking forward to it." asserted

I → look → it

He wanted to end the drought himself. asserted

He → want → drought

Once Jalen Brunson took care of business, LeBron bailed for Philly. asserted

LeBron → take → Philly

Dropping LeBron into that locker room immediately raised questions about who actually runs the show in Philadelphia. asserted

who → drop → Philadelphia

Asked on Monday who the "alpha" of the Sixers is, Jaylen Brown shut it down cold: "Next question. asserted

Brown → ask → it

Then came the pandering to the Philly crowds. asserted

pandering → come → crowds

"They know ball," LeBron said. asserted

LeBron → know → ball

"And if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, they're going to let you hear it, and I'm excited about that." Sure you are, LeBron. asserted

you → do → that

As for how he fits alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey entering Season 24, LeBron had zero doubts about his remaining capability. asserted

LeBron → fit → capability

"The luxury of my game is that I can do everything," James declared. asserted

James → do → everything

"Literally, I can do everything." asserted

I → do → everything

"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team, and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey ..." LeBron added. asserted

LeBron → believe → journey

Whether Philly fans buy into the act remains to be seen. asserted

buy → buy → act