LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers set off a strong reaction Friday morning in Boston, where Celtics fans believe the all-time NBA great may have had an additional motive behind his stunning move.
But one detail surrounding James’ move has particularly caught the attention of Celtics fans, fueling their theory that taking another shot at Boston may have been part of the plan.
James is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option to join the 76ers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET. James’ decision now united the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and, most annoyingly for Celtics fans, Jaylen Brown. That last name is the detail driving the theory. James didn’t just pick a division rival. He picked the team that now employs the All-Star Boston traded away only weeks earlier.
âAs mad as I am about this, this is the Celtics fault,” wrote fan Logan McBride on social media. “They decided to give Jaylen Brown away to the Sixers for Paul George and a bunch of nothing. The Jaylen Brown trade is likely one of the top reasons that LeBron went to Philadelphia. Anyway, hope they fail.â
JBrown Trade Fuels Celtics Fan Fury Over LeBron
Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia this summer in a deal that brought back Paul George and a package of future draft picks, a move that looked shaky in the moment and now reads, to much of the fanbase, as the domino that toppled everything else.
One fan account summed up the prevailing theory bluntly on X, arguing the Brown trade is what ultimately delivered James to a division rival, while another called the sequence a “humiliation ritual” for Celtics supporters.
“Iâm convinced LeBron chose the 76ers solely to troll Celtics fans,” wrote another fan on social media. “Nothing else makes sense.”
The commentary spread fast, with users referencing Boston’s earlier loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat as evidence of a franchise unraveling in real time.
âCeltics fans watching their team blow a 3-1 lead to franchise rival 76rs, their best player getting traded to same team for bag of chips, lose Giannis to Miami, and Lebron going to Philly in 3 month span,â recounted another frustrated Celtics fan.
Brown himself had been recruiting James to Philadelphia for weeks before Friday’s confirmation. During a livestream appearance with streamer IShowSpeed at a 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between France and Morocco, Brown made his pitch directly and took a shot at his former team in the process, according to BasketNews.
“It’s a crazy business, bro. Don’t become a basketball player. There’s no loyalty, there’s no love,” Brown said, before adding, “They packed me up, sayonara chat, I’m out of here,” as quoted by BasketNews.
Celtics Nation Explodes
Since Charania’s report went live, Celtics fans have piled on with dark humor about Boston’s offseason collapse, pointing to the Brown trade, the Antetokounmpo departure and now James landing with the 76ers as a combination that few franchises can overcome quickly. Others accused James of choosing Philadelphia specifically to needle Celtics supporters.
âKnicks got a ring. Heat got Giannis. 76ers got JB & LeBron. The Celtics got Hugo Gonzalez,â another fan posted.
No current Celtics player or Boston president Brad Stevens has publicly addressed the news as of early Friday afternoon. Former Celtic Paul Pierce had weighed in earlier this offseason, suggesting a move to Philadelphia would complicate James’ standing among the game’s all-time greats by making him a complementary piece rather than the unquestioned face of a franchise.
The Brown trade remains unpopular, to say the least, in the eyes of Boston’s fanbase even without the James bombshell. George’s return package now looks thin next to what Philadelphia has assembled around Embiid and Maxey, and layering James on top of that core sharpens the contrast for a division rival that got stronger off Boston’s own roster.
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