No one was shocked when LeBron James had the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Golden State Warriors on his destination list. However, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly joined the race after they traded for Jaylen Brown.
They ultimately landed James on a two-year, $8 million contract, and many people, even one inside the 76ers organization, were shocked by his decision.
76ers President Mike Gansey Describes His Reaction to LeBron James’ Decision
Mike Gansey replaced Daryl Morey as Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations on May 29, 2026. Gansey previously spent over a decade in the Cavaliers’ front office before his new position.
Just a few months later, he helped the 76ers arguably have the best offseason in the NBA, bringing in James and Jaylen Brown to cement Philadelphia as a championship-contending squad.
Dave McMenamin wrote about the fallout after the 22-time All-Star made his decision. Gansey was ironically at his home in Cleveland when James’ agent, Rich Paul, sent him a text, congratulating him for landing the future Hall of Famer.
“Congrats … Sixers it is,” the text read. Gansey had a similar reaction to most Sixers fans when they saw Shams Charania’s announcement on July 24.
“He walked upstairs to tell his wife, Amy, first. “I’m like, ‘Babe, we just got LeBron,'” Gansey told ESPN. “She’s like, ‘What?!’ I’ll never forget that. And just seeing Rich’s texts and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, here we go,'” McMenamin wrote.
Gansey has more ties to James than meets the eye. He finished runner-up to James in 2001, when he won Ohio’s Mr. Basketball award, which honors the state’s best high school basketball player.
However, it does not stop there. Gansey served as the general manager of the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, from 2015 to 2017. He experienced James bringing a championship to the franchise in 2016 and now hopes for a repeat performance in 2027.
The 76ers’ president is definitely excited about this opportunity. He went out of the house after telling his wife the news to answer a barrage of incoming phone calls.
“I walked around the block probably for two hours … Some of my neighbors were coming out looking at me like, ‘What the hell? You took him!’ “Being in Cleveland, obviously, a little bittersweet, I guess,” said Gansey.
Cavaliers fans hoped James would sign his final contract with the hometown team. Miami wanted him to form a big three with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Warriors fans wanted to see James and Stephen Curry play together after competing against one another for multiple championships. However, none of these hopes came true. In the end, James chose Philadelphia to make one more run for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
