The Philadelphia 76ers gave LeBron James a royal welcome this past summer after adding him to a core that already included star players Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown. The signing caught the attention of DraftKings commercial co-star Kevin Hart and also led to James signing an outrageously lucrative deal with another betting platform.

Hart, a 76ers fan, could not contain his excitement for the James signing in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

“One of the best days of my life,” Hart said. “As a Philadelphia fan, Sixers fan, it would be so big for us to do anything in the conversation of championship. The fact that we feel like we have all the pieces that we desperately needed, it's a big deal, but you don't wanna be overconfident, you don't wanna overtalk it, you just wanna see these guys show up, and I think that everybody's poised for greatness.”

Article Continues Below

The Sixers finished with a 45-37 record last season without their new star forward Brown and are focusing on the task of building camaraderie ahead of the season, as evidenced by James' blunt message to teammate Joel Embiid, who won the NBA's MVP award in 2022-23. James is 41 years old and will turn 42 on December 30, 2026, which could add to his sense of urgency this season in pursuit of championship number five for his career.

The 76ers have the talent, athleticism, size, and depth they need to compete for a championship. With the city's legions of diehard fans along for the ride, they also have an X-factor that few other NBA teams can boast, which could help make Hart and James' title dreams a reality this season.