Steve Popper: LeBron James joins the 76ers, but is it enough for Philadelphia to dethrone the Knicks as NBA champions?

When you wait 53 years for a championship, it’s understandable that the celebration is going to last a while. For the Knicks, this one lasted nearly as long as the latest decision by LeBron James, with appearances on assorted television shows, at Fanatics Fest and nearly every sporting goods store in the tri-state area.

While Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the cast are feted around New York City this summer, they can expect it to go on for decades to come. Their place in New York history is secured, and maybe there still are some fans sipping champagne in alleys along the parade route through the Canyon of Heroes.

Eventually, however, the celebrations will subside and training camp will open and the Knicks will have to get back to work and attempt to do what no team seems to be able to do anymore.

Repeat.

And that challenge just got, well, more challenging.

The remaking of the Philadelphia 76ers was capped Friday morning with James' announcement that he is joining a team that already had drastically changed from the roster that the Knicks swept out of the postseason months ago.

another championship.

I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.

Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!

🙏🏾🫡👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026

The Knicks easily disposed of Philadelphia and the 76ers’ front office took note, making huge moves while keeping the team’s three most important pieces in place.

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the young backcourt, was always the future for the franchise. Joel Embiid is the “what if,” a former MVP whose health has always been a bigger question than his performance. But already added to the mix was Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons.

Add James and on paper, it’s an imposing starting lineup and depth that, if everything falls right, could contend with any team. But amid the breathless celebrations — can an entire fan base run up the stairs and celebrate like Rocky? — it’s worth considering whether this really will work as well on the court as it does on paper.

James will turn 42 during the season. Embiid’s health has been a constant issue since he arrived in the NBA. If there were questions about Brown working together with Jayson Tatum in Boston, how will it work now when, if everyone is healthy — a huge if — the 76ers will have to figure out how to share the ball among five offensive forces.

It’s not just who gets the ball. James seemed to take a secondary role to Luka Doncic with the Lakers and accepted it. But there were times when the 76ers seemed better with Embiid off the floor and Maxey the clear No. 1 option.

The Knicks don’t enter the season with these questions. While they were being honored and toasted around town, the rest of the league set about its business with a goal of figuring out how to get past them, examining the blueprint that Leon Rose and his front office put in place.

Brunson’s game video will be studied and analytics staffs will work to plot a way to get the ball out of his hands, something that no one has figured out yet.

The competition improved on paper, but the Knicks kept their roster nearly intact. The only change in the rotation was the departure of Mitchell Robinson to Boston as a free agent and the Knicks replacing him with Andre Drummond, who coincidentally played for Philadelphia last season. While the 76ers signed Knicks third-string center Ariel Hukporti, they may regret losing the veteran backup in Drummond for the inevitable times when Embiid will sit out.

Repeating is never easy in the NBA’s system of parity, influenced by the salary cap and fear of the second apron. The Knicks became the eighth different team to win a title in the last eight seasons.

The Knicks are basically bringing back a group for a third straight season together. Health remains a vital factor for any team, the Knicks included, but chemistry questions have been settled. Did anyone look unhappy with their role as they were soaking each other in champagne?

They’re not the only team in this run of new champions to keep the key pieces intact. Oklahoma City brought back its core last season and was knocked out in the Western Conference finals. Boston ran it back and was dethroned by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals two years ago. Denver, before the Celtics, kept the main pieces in place.

It goes all the way back to Golden State in 2018, when it repeated as the champion and kept its starting five together to do it.

The road back is going to be more difficult. The rebuilt 76ers will be a challenge. Giannis Antetokounmpo will change the Miami Heat. Boston remains an obstacle, just like Detroit, Indiana, Atlanta and Cleveland.

But while others won the summer on paper, the Knicks remain the champions on the court.