Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors executive renowned for constructing the NBA’s most recent dynasty, made an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, the Klutch Sports Group CEO who famously represents LeBron James.
Myers’ current role as president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, in which he hired new Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, made his presence particularly intriguing. After all, the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, are among the top-three contenders pursuing James, who is reportedly taking Philadelphia’s pitch “really seriously.”
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Myers, seated next to Paul, illustrated a version of that pitch on the podcast, the same place Paul previously listed the potential teams James could join this offseason. Myers repeated that he believes the Sixers give James the “best chance to win” in his 24th NBA season.
“If you’re talking about the Sixers, if he was here, I would say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win,’” Myers said. “You have to decide all the other things, that are equally important, because it’s his life. He has to play, he has to face the scrutiny of his decision. Half the people will say, ‘You should have done this, you should have done that.’ Criticize him or whatever, which is his life, so he’s been through all that.
“What I would just say is, if it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team. Because you can win here, in Philadelphia. If you want to talk about other stuff: What’s this guy like, what’s that guy like — by the way, he knows players, a lot of them, better than I do. Their games — this is a guy that probably watches more basketball than anybody understands. He’s probably watching a game in February that nobody’s watching. So not only does he know the guys, he knows how they play.”
Josh Harris and David Blitzer called upon Myers last year to help further the company’s portfolio of teams, including the Sixers. Since the Sixers moved on from Daryl Morey in May — following their Eastern Conference semifinals playoff exit — Myers has taken on larger role around the franchise despite him not carrying an official title within the organization.
While taking part in a lighthearted, free-flowing conversation with Kellerman and Paul, Myers didn’t try to overtly sell Paul on the Sixers. He even theorized that whatever he says won’t affect James’ decision-making process.
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“And I’m okay saying that,” Myers conceded.
Myers pointed out that James, who will turn 42 in December, is “well-equipped” to make this call. That’s not say Myers wouldn’t want the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on the Sixers, of course. James is a 22-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP.
Plus, Myers believes James would slide right into Philadelphia’s starting five.
“It’s, like, ‘Boom,’” he said. “It’s right there. And the skill sets complement. It’s very complementary. Because LeBron’s been a high-usage guy, but he doesn’t have to be. He can be, but he doesn’t have to be.”
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That five now includes five-time All-Star and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. The Sixers shocked the basketball world in acquiring the former Boston Celtics standout this summer. That head-turning trade has reportedly thrust the Sixers to the forefront of a conversation that started when James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he’d be playing elsewhere during the 2026-27 season.
“When I talk to teams around the league, when I do my research, the teams that continue to come up are Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia after they got Jaylen Brown,” Charania reported. “Like, Philadelphia was not in the picture, and I think that’s why this is somewhat a true free agency for LeBron James because he didn’t go into it with a calculation in mind, a plan in place.
“You leave the Lakers. You don’t necessarily know what your value is. There’s not like a guaranteed max that he’s walking into. There’s not a guaranteed $20-30 million salary that you’re walking into, so you have to be open-minded.
“So when the Sixers got Jaylen Brown, I did some research, and I found out within 24 hours [that] he’s taking their pitch really seriously.”
Charania added: “I look at it, when I talk to teams now, as kind of a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia — and then I think there’s some teams on the periphery.”
The Sixers haven’t made the NBA Finals since 2001. That’s also the last year they reached the Eastern Conference finals. If James signed with them, he’d have an opportunity to help bring the franchise its first NBA championship since 1983.
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“You hook me up to a polygraph, all these teams you’re thinking about, I think the Sixers would beat those teams,” Myers said. “Am I right? That’s just my opinion.
He added: “All you can say [as] somebody representing a team, or all I would say is, ‘Win.’ This is the best chance to win.”
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