Sources: 76ers' pursuit of LeBron led by Maxey, Embiid, Brown - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — As LeBron James' free agency decision extends into its second week, the Philadelphia 76ers have kept up their pursuit of the four-time NBA champion through three of their players, league sources told ESPN.

Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have all been in communication with James, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, with Maxey leading the charge.

The 25-year-old Maxey, a fellow Klutch Sports client who also has trained with James in the offseason for the past several years, has referred to the 41-year-old star as a «big brother» in the past.

Embiid, the 2022-23 league MVP, teamed with James to win a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

And Brown, whom James had playoff battles with in the past when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brown was with the Boston Celtics, received an MVP endorsement from James in February.

«He's playing great basketball, man,» James said of Brown at the time. «This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about some, as well. Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season.»

James also praised the Philadelphia fan base after he scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter — shooting 5-for-6 from the field, mostly on jump shots — to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-108 win in December.

«One thing you know about Philly fans, they don't care about anybody besides their home teams, and I respect and I love that,» James said. «I've played here, for obviously 23 years, a lot more when I was in Eastern Conference. But to be able to have an appreciation for the City of Brotherly Love and for me to go out and still play the game that I love and them respect it, whatever the case may be — if they do — it's pretty cool.»

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