Eight Years After Failed Billboard Campaign, LeBron James Finally Commits to Philadelphia 76ers

LeBron James has committed to joining the Philadelphia 76ers, marking an unexpected victory for a creative marketing campaign launched eight years earlier. In February 2018, Pennsylvania businessman Asher Raphael orchestrated the placement of three billboards near Cleveland in an attempt to lure James away from the Cavaliers. At that time, the effort appeared unsuccessful when James instead signed with the Los Angeles Lakers later that year.

James announced his decision Friday, describing it as the final major move of his professional career. The announcement validated Raphael’s 2018 billboard investment in ways that seemed implausible when James chose Los Angeles over Philadelphia. Raphael, co-CEO of Power Home Remodeling, received an outpouring of messages from colleagues and acquaintances upon learning the news, with many noting that “the process completed.”

The original campaign drew inspiration from the acclaimed 2017 film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and featured messaging such as “Philly Wants LeBron” and “Complete The Process,” referencing the 76ers’ well-documented rebuilding strategy. A third billboard displayed James alongside then-Sixers starters Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and Joel Embiid—only Embiid remains with the franchise today.

Raphael had considered ordering additional billboards this summer but ultimately decided against it. The company benefited from considerable brand exposure following the 2018 campaign and gained a morale boost among its workforce. Philadelphia has not won an NBA championship since 1983, and Raphael expressed confidence that James’ arrival alongside Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe positions the franchise to end the 44-year drought.