LeBron James at the centre of Philadelphia’s obsession

After weeks of anticipation, LeBron James has finally revealed his future plans and decided to join the team that, following the Knicks’ recent success, craves an NBA triumph more than any other – in a city where this desire has bordered on obsession for several years now. The former Lakers star has decided to take his talents – to quote his first, historic "Decision" – to Philadelphia: the Sixers’ last title dates back to 1983, before even "The Chosen One" had been born. For days on end, observers speculated about James’s future, but he chose not to give in to sentimentality: there was neither a return to Miami – which, given the Heat’s current squad, would have been a tactical mismatch bordering on the tragic – nor a return to Cleveland, which would have carried an even higher degree of sentimentality and made slightly more tactical sense than the Miami option. And, above all, there was no move to Golden State, which would have represented a bid for the Championship alongside his old teammate from so many battles with Team USA, Steph Curry: to make it all possible, even someone like Draymond Green had decided to hold off on renewing his contract, ready to take a pay cut just to welcome James into the squad.

In the end, by his own admission, LeBron chose to try, once again, to win. He did so without hesitation, on the cusp of his 42nd birthday, signing a two-year deal and thereby significantly raising the age bar for someone who, in the same social media post, linked his desire to win with the practical consideration of retirement that had taken shape as recently as two months ago: he will be on the court, God willing, until he is just shy of 44. He wasn’t after money – given the state of the transfer market, it would have been practically impossible to secure any – having earned an exorbitant amount throughout his career; whilst some believed the Timberwolves might be the best option, Philadelphia ultimately came out on top, having just signed Jaylen Brown, boasting a rising star in Tyrese Maxey and a player like Vj Edgecombe who dreams of becoming one very soon. And then there are those, like Joel Embiid, who for years have had to contend with injuries that plague him and sap his dazzling talent.

And whilst, on the one hand, this seems like the perfect starting five to mount a challenge – at the very least – for the Eastern Conference title held by the NBA champions from New York, on the other hand, the risk is precisely that of a starting five with a few too many roosters in the henhouse: not so much a purely technical issue, but rather the risk of having too many dominant personalities to imagine that anyone would be willing to give up their place in the sun. How it will all pan out, however, remains to be seen on the court, with James having given himself another two years to secure his fifth championship ring, following the two he won in Miami, the one in Cleveland and the one in a Lakers jersey. One thing is certain: after so many bleak seasons, the illusion of ‘The Process’, a return to relative obscurity and last season’s exit in the second round of the play-offs – following a somewhat surprise victory over the Boston Celtics – Philadelphia is giving it another go, much to the delight of its fans.

One consideration, however, remains – one that cannot be overlooked or dismissed: the fact that, despite the clock ticking relentlessly, James remains the league’s guiding star in terms of ‘star power’, an aspect so dear to the owners of the 30 franchises and to Commissioner Adam Silver. This is so much the case that it has caused a delay in the publication of the regular-season fixtures: it is impossible to finalise certain specific fixtures – such as those over Christmas – without first knowing where the Chosen One will be playing. Because in the NBA’s ‘farm’, to borrow a concept dear to Orwell, everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others.