As LeBron James' likelihood of playing for the Philadelphia 76ers becomes real, there was one destination that was not an option. Two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton revealed James found the idea of coming to the Indiana Pacers laughable.

Pacers star Haliburton was a guest on Monday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, where he revealed that he had asked James to join the Pacers, to which James had an amusing reply.

"LeBron James being my teammate, it's not looking good," Haliburton said on July 20. "I texted him before Fanatics Fest, and I said, 'Hey, you should come be a Pacer,' and he responded with six laughing cry faces. I thought it was two, I said during our interview that it was two, then I went back and looked at the text. It was six."

This was just the most recent moment between the two. Just a few months ago, fans saw another one of these moments in January when Haliburton made an appearance on the Mind the Game podcast.

At the time, Haliburton recalled being at a film session for the 2024 Paris Olympics. As he recalled, after James and Kevin Durant addressed the team, he realized his role may be smaller than he expected. Both James and Haliburton shared a laugh after the revelation.

That's why, when Haliburton asked James to join the Indiana Pacers, despite the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers as the likely destinations, James laughed it off.

The 41-year-old, though, has made it clear about his motto coming into the next season. James went on to appear in a live episode of The Shop at Fanatics Fest being held in New York City and told fans what he wants his next team's core goal to be.

"What's most important is I want to compete, I want to compete at a high level. I want to join a franchise that kind of shares the same motto as myself, and that's, like, practicing championship happens every day. But trusting the process more than anything," James said, per Bleacher Report.

The 22-time All-Star's departure from the Los Angeles Lakers after playing eight years and winning an NBA championship with them came to light on June 30, after the Lakers announced it via an X post.

But James had more to say about what he could bring to any team that he joins. However, he may need to make a decision sooner rather than later!

What LeBron James brings to a team

James said during his Mind the Game podcast at Fanatics Fest about how he could play a crucial role after he joins a team. James explained that he wants to share his experience with his new team, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

"I'm a natural-born leader," James said. "I'm going to try to fit into whatever team I'm going into, but also give them all the tools and give them all the knowledge that I've been able to grasp over the last 23 years. I know the game. I know the ins and outs about the game of basketball."

As a four-time NBA champion with four Finals MVPs and four MVP awards, he can bring a lot of experience and wisdom to the table. However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants him to make the decision as soon as possible.

This is because the NBA schedule has been affected by James not making a decision, which is having a major impact on the league. He would need to make it quickly for the NBA to further negotiate the dates of the 2026-27 schedule.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar