LeBron James picked Philadelphia, eight years after billboards asked him to come to the 76ers

LeBron James wound up picking Philadelphia, and no billboards were required.

Back in February 2018, a businessman named Asher Raphael arranged for three billboards to be placed a few miles outside of Cleveland in a lighthearted effort to woo James to the Philadelphia 76ers. James decided later that year to leave the Cavaliers and join the Los Angeles Lakers. The billboard bit seemed futile.

Instead, maybe it was just premature. James announced Friday that he's joining the 76ers in what he said will be the “last decision” of his playing career — and, finally, Raphael can say the billboard investment from eight years ago paid off.

“I was in the middle of a board meeting and my phone was going off like something was on fire," said Raphael, the co-CEO of Power Home Remodeling, a Pennsylvania-based firm with offices around the country. "And it was people from all walks of life, employees, former employees, friends from all over the country being like: ‘It worked. Process completed.’ It was the coolest thing.”

The original billboard idea was loosely based on the award-winning 2017 film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and was simply intended to be something fun.

It wound up going viral.

Raphael ordered billboards with the messaging of “Philly Wants LeBron” and “Complete The Process” — a nod to the 76ers' infamous “process” of rebuilding, with hopes of becoming a contender. The third billboard showed where James would fit on the court with the other Sixers starters at the time: Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and Joel Embiid. Of those, only Embiid remains with the 76ers.

Raphael considered ordering more billboards this summer but didn't place any orders. Turns out, he didn't need to.

“We just wanted to drop a seed that Philly wanted him," Raphael said. "I think a lot of people think of Philly as a great sports town, but opposing teams think of it as kind of an intimidating place. And we just wanted to drop a seed that he would be welcomed here and he’d love it.”

Raphael's company got some name recognition from the billboard move in 2018, and he said it was a great morale boost to employees. And he fully believes James coming to Philadelphia, to play alongside Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe, is going to pay off for a city that hasn't seen its NBA team win a championship since 1983.

“Philly, right now, is on fire," Raphael said. “At that moment, we became an undeniable contender. And if he comes to Philadelphia and we get that title and that trophy after 44 years, the country will see what Sixers fans are about.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

FILE - Three billboards trying to entice Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James to come to Philadelphia are shown near a highway, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

FILE - One of three billboards trying to entice Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James to come to Philadelphia are shown near a highway, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Veteran pitcher Lance McCullers has been designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers less than two weeks after they acquired the right-hander from the Houston Astros.

The Brewers announced the move before their game Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. They recalled right-handed pitcher Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville.

The moves come a day after McCullers walked four batters in 1 2/3 innings of relief in an 8-5 victory over the Rockies. McCullers entered with Milwaukee ahead 8-2 in the eighth inning and returned for the ninth, but he allowed a hit and two walks in that inning before Trevor Megill came in to get the final out.

McCullers went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two relief appearances with Milwaukee. He struck out five, walked five and allowed five runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings.

The bullpen role was new for McCullers, who had started in 148 of his 154 career outings with Houston.

McCullers, 32, had spent his entire major league career with the Astros until they sent him and left-hander Colton Gordon to the Brewers for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder on July 15. Houston had agreed to pay Milwaukee $4,227,273 to offset most of McCullers’ remaining salary, leaving his cost to the Brewers at $2.5 million.

McCullers was on the injured list with shoulder inflammation at the time of the trade and last pitched for the Astros on May 13. He went 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA in eight starts for Houston this season.

He began his MLB career in 2015 and owns a 53-40 record with a 3.85 ERA. McCullers was part of Houston’s 2017 and 2022 World Series champions, but injuries kept him from pitching in 2019, 2023 and 2024.

Stallings pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances during an earlier stint with Milwaukee this season. He has gone 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA for Nashville in 18 appearances, including 13 starts.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers' Lance McCullers Jr. pitches during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)