{"id":2061257,"date":"2026-07-25T13:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T10:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2061257"},"modified":"2026-07-25T13:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T10:20:17","slug":"lebrons-last-stop-plus-mahomes-cleared-to-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2061257","title":{"rendered":"LeBron\u2019s last stop, plus Mahomes cleared to practice"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><strong><span>The Pulse Newsletter <\/span><\/strong>\ud83d\udce3<span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019<\/em>s daily sports newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-pulse\/\"><span>Sign up here<\/span><\/a><span> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Good morning! Congrats or sorry about yesterday\u2019s big news. Inside:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83d\udd14\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7417464\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-contract-76ers-free-agency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LeBron to Philly<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc46 Well,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468109\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-maxey-embiid-brown-contenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more of this<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468438\/2026\/07\/24\/tony-romo-arrest-owi-dui-cbs-sports-cowboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tony Romo arrested<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>LeBron: Finally, a King for Philly to accept<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>The sports world revolves around Philadelphia this morning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LeBron James, the NBA\u2019s 41-year-old all-time leading scorer, announced yesterday he\u2019ll join the 76ers<\/strong>\u00a0on a two-year, $8 million deal that represents the endgame of his career.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>\u201cThis is my last decision,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7417464\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-contract-76ers-free-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James wrote on social media<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m not going for money. I\u2019m not going for family \u2026 I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.\u201d\u00a0<strong>It\u2019s hard to doubt any of that<\/strong>; James is signing for a fraction of what he could\u2019ve made \u2014 what he\u00a0<em>has\u00a0<\/em>made for decades \u2014 with an entirely new franchise. No Heat, no Cavaliers, just the closing chapter of his career in a city where he has little history.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Even at this stage in LeBron\u2019s career, it\u2019s a \u201cremember where you were\u201d moment<\/strong>. I asked\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/author\/john-hollinger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Hollinger<\/a>\u00a0what word first came to his mind when he got the news. He answered: \u201cReally?\u201d He understood the move but figured James was ticketed for Miami or Cleveland. Zach Harper, author of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/tag\/the-bounce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our free NBA newsletter<\/a>, told me he had the natural first thought: \u201ccheesesteaks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To recap: The Sixers already had one of the NBA\u2019s most talented backcourts in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, with Joel Embiid (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7057066\/2026\/02\/19\/joel-embiid-sixers-health-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ideally healthy<\/a>) playing in front of them. Paul George is gone, but\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7443131\/2026\/07\/14\/jaylen-brown-76ers-chemistry-joel-embiid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaylen Brown is here in return<\/a>, and now so is James.\u00a0<strong>Pretty good starting five<\/strong>, and one\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468652\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-joel-embiid-jaylen-brown-76ers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">with which James shares some overlapping histories<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p><strong>Are the Sixers now a title contender? \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Harper says<\/strong>. \u201cThey\u2019ll need a healthy Embiid to get through New York, but you have LeBron and Brown with something to prove by making the Sixers a champion.\u201d Philly won the last of its three titles in 1983, behind an MVP season from Moses Malone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s an overwhelming move, so we\u2019re covering it in overwhelming fashion.\u00a0<\/strong>Read up:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cJames immediately becomes one of the biggest acquisitions in the history of Philly sports,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468109\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-maxey-embiid-brown-contenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">writes Tony Jones<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468299\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-nba-free-agency-eastern-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Eastern Conference is back, says Fred Katz<\/a>: \u201cThe makeup of the conference is not the same as it was when James frolicked to eight consecutive finals berths before heading to Los Angeles in 2018.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468190\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-nba-title-odds-sixers-knicks-betting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sixers are now right there with the Knicks<\/a> as betting favorites atop the East.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468213\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-nba-power-rankings-free-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New NBA power rankings from Law Murray have the Sixers quite high<\/a>. I\u2019ll let you guess before you click, in case you\u2019re curious how your own personal ranking matches up.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7450212\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-sixers-decisions-ranked-nba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harper ranked LeBron\u2019s free agency decisions by their place in history<\/a>. There are now four of these, and sports fans of a certain age will remember them all.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468428\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-nba-eastern-conference-legacy-roundtable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A whole panel of expert reactions<\/a>. Here\u2019s a sharp one from Eric Koreen: \u201cMy mind went, \u2018Man, LeBron James doesn\u2019t seem like a Philadelphia 76er.\u2019 \u2026 That said, pairing a player and team that have consistently served up drama, albeit different kinds, for so long also makes sense.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/live-blogs\/lebron-james-free-agency-decision-signing-nba\/nBgi4hAVhSkf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here\u2019s a live feed on the story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>News to Know<\/b><\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/07\/24162031\/AP26160752638501-1024x683.jpg?width=770&amp;quality=70&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"770\" height=\"514\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Ed Zurga \/ Associated Press<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>Mahomes cleared for full practice<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in\u00a0<em>mid-December<\/em>\u00a0and here it is July and he\u2019s cleared to fully participate in Chiefs\u2019 training camp. Seriously remarkable. Will he be a Week 1 starter? Coach Andy Reid wasn\u2019t ready to guarantee that just yet. But it\u2019s nice to know that Mahomes \u2014\u00a0who says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468666\/2026\/07\/24\/chiefs-patrick-mahomes-cleared-to-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he\u2019s stronger<\/a>\u00a0than before \u2014\u00a0is on track with his ambitious schedule. ICYMI: Jesse Newell had\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7442924\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-unlucky-2025-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a great analysis<\/a>\u00a0of whether the Chiefs were simply cursed during a 6-11 season in which they actually outscored their opponents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>More News<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Former Cowboys quarterback and lead CBS analyst Tony Romo<\/strong>\u00a0was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468438\/2026\/07\/24\/tony-romo-arrest-owi-dui-cbs-sports-cowboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arrested on suspicion<\/a>\u00a0of intoxicated driving in\u00a0<strong>Milwaukee<\/strong>, after spending the week playing golf in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong>\u00a0wondered if\u00a0<strong>LeBron James<\/strong>\u00a0is \u201ca racist\u201d when he was asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan as the best player ever.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468775\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-trump-nba-goat-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full story here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>International Olympic Committee\u00a0<\/strong>says it\u2019s\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0going to investigate whether\u00a0<strong>FIFA president and IOC member Gianni Infantino<\/strong>\u00a0was involved in suspending\u00a0<strong>U.S. forward Folarin Balogun<\/strong>\u2019s one-match ban in the\u00a0<strong>World Cup<\/strong>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468076\/2026\/07\/24\/infantino-world-cup-balogun-suspension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Three-time All-Pro\u00a0<strong>wideout DeAndre Hopkins<\/strong>\u00a0hasn\u2019t decided to retire from playing, but he\u2019s starting training camp with the\u00a0<strong>Patriots<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468098\/2026\/07\/24\/deandre-hopkins-patriots-mike-vrabel-coach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in an advisory role<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>New\u00a0<strong>Germany men\u2019s soccer team head coach Jurgen Klopp<\/strong>\u00a0warned media during his introductory press conference that if they \u201cbehave badly\u201d he will leave the job.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7467589\/2026\/07\/24\/jurgen-klopp-germany-head-coach-media-criticism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Some interesting comments here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Find more news here 24\/7<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Watch Guide<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0<strong>AUSL Championship, Game 1<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Utah Talons vs. Chicago Bandits<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>1 p.m. ET on ABC<br \/>\n<\/strong>A title rematch in the MLB-backed softball league\u2019s second season. Chicago got its shot at revenge by winning the play-in on an 11th-inning walk-off single from Ailana Agbayani, daughter of Mets cult hero Benny. Series is best of 3.<\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0<strong>WNBA All-Star Game<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>8:30 p.m. ET on ABC<br \/>\n<\/strong>Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers headline the rosters led by W legends Teresa Weatherspoon and Cynthia Cooper, respectively.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7448087\/2026\/07\/15\/wnba-all-star-rosters-caitlin-clark-paige-bueckers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full team info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><i><span>Get tickets to games like this <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/stubhub.prf.hn\/l\/jXBQP09\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><i><span>here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>Pulse Picks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/07\/23192014\/GettyImages-2271212179-1-1024x742.jpg?width=770&amp;quality=70&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"770\" height=\"558\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Angelina Katsanis \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has led the league into its most successful era by almost every measure \u2026 so why is she booed and heckled at league events? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7467222\/2026\/07\/24\/wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-criticism-adam-silver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This is a fascinating read<\/a>\u00a0about her strained relationship with players and still-uncertain future.<\/p>\n<p>In honor of LeBron James becoming a Sixer, he should go to my favorite Philly restaurant, Barbuzzo. \u2014\u00a0Chris Branch<\/p>\n<p>A young player for Huddersfield in England\u2019s third tier of pro soccer has gotten millions of views on social media for, of all things, a\u00a0<em>throw-in<\/em>. Fun story here about why even top teams are beginning to prize heaves like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7466055\/2026\/07\/24\/max-murray-huddersfield-throw-in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this one<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Shaboozey and Leon Bridges are each releasing new albums this summer \u2014 and collaborated on a lowkey moody but fun track called \u201cBurn It Down\u201d for Shaboozey\u2019s cinematically inspired project \u201cThe Outlaw Cherie Lee &amp; Other Western Tales\u201d that drops next Friday. The blend of classic country twang and pop production we\u2019re used to hearing from Shaboozey mixed with Bridges\u2019 soulful vocals feels like a uniquely comprehensive snapshot of what Americana sounds like in 2026. Just as good on a drive with the windows rolled down as it is dancing \u2014 at home or in a bar. \u2014 Katie Richcreek<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t miss the sixth annual edition of college football\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7459418\/2026\/07\/24\/college-football-oldest-players-geezer-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All-Geezer team<\/a>, including a few players who began their careers in the 2010s! \ud83e\udd95<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you saw a supplement or a diet tip from someone on Instagram in the last year \u2014 and, isn\u2019t that all of us? \u2014 there\u2019s a very real chance that person was completely fake.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/technology\/100000011001849\/ai-influencers-health-supplements-fake-ads.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Totally fake person<\/a>. AI. Dude, it\u2019s WILD. \u2014 Chris Sprow<\/p>\n<p>A great frozen pizza can bring wonder and convenience. I, alongside my fellow kitchen experts at Wirecutter, have taste-tested 53 over the years and discovered\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/wirecutter\/reviews\/best-frozen-pizzas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the best ones<\/a>, including a deep-dish delicacy and a genuinely delicious gluten-free option. \u2014 Mace Dent Johnson<\/p>\n<p><strong>Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday<\/strong>: Jayson Stark\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7464957\/2026\/07\/23\/baseball-hall-of-fame-mlb-active-players-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full list<\/a>\u00a0of active MLB players making the best Hall of Fame cases.<\/p>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:thepulse@theathletic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>thepulse@theathletic.com<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5803046\/2025\/12\/31\/the-athletic-newsletters-sign-up\/\"><span>check out our other newsletters<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Congrats or sorry about yesterday\u2019s big news. Inside: \ud83d\udd14\u00a0LeBron to Philly \ud83d\udc46 Well,\u00a0more of this Tony Romo arrested LeBron: Finally, a King for Philly to accept The sports world revolves [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2061257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2061257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061257\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2061257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2061257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2061257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}