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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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LeBron James has spent more than two decades becoming not just one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but also one of the most marketable athletes in sports.
Now, he's bringing that star power to the Philadelphia 76ers, signing a two-year, $8 million deal to try and deliver an NBA championship to the City of Brotherly Love.
According to Fanatics, James' Sixers jersey has already become the best-selling jersey ever for a player changing teams across all sports during the first 48 hours after his announcement, surpassing Shohei Ohtani's mark in 2023 when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Ohtani's move to Dodgers was widely viewed as one of the biggest free-agent signings in sports history, and James' move to Philly has generated just as much, if not more, excitement.
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The news isn't entirely surprising. James remains one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, and fans across the NBA have been waiting weeks for him to announce his decision.
At 41 years old, the NBA's all-time leading scorer is entering what he has called the final chapter of his career, and clearly everybody wants to own a piece of it.
Expect to see plenty of No. 23 Sixers jerseys in the months ahead.
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But these record-breaking sales aren't just about LeBron. They also reflect the excitement surrounding this Philly team.
The 76ers already made headlines earlier this summer when they traded for former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, and adding James to a core that also features Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe has transformed this franchise into one of the league's biggest attractions.
Right now, no team in the NBA, and perhaps no team in professional sports, is generating more excitement than the 76ers. James has always moved the needle everywhere he's played, and Philadelphia is proving to be no different.
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