“We Got the King”: Dawn Staley Rolls Out the Welcome Wagon for LeBron James in Philadelphia
Dawn Staley didn’t waste any time celebrating the Philadelphia 76ers’ latest blockbuster move — and she made sure the entire James family knew Philly was ready to embrace them.
A hometown reaction, delivered fast
NBA superstar LeBron James announced on social media on July 24 that he would be signing with the 76ers. Within minutes, Staley — a Philadelphia native and lifelong 76ers fan — posted a reaction video on X. Her excitement was immediate and personal, extending well beyond a simple congratulations to James himself. She offered direct support to his wife Savannah and their daughter Zhuri, treating the announcement less like a typical free-agency headline and more like a family moving into her own hometown.
“We got the king,” Staley said. “Welcome to Philly, Bron. Let me know if you need any spots. Let me know if Zhuri needs any place to go to school. We know the entire school district. Savanna, we got you. Bron, good, great choice, my guy.”
That response is notable for its specificity — Staley wasn’t just welcoming a superstar athlete, she was offering practical, community-level help with things like schooling, the kind of gesture that reflects genuine civic pride rather than a scripted athlete-to-athlete greeting. Coming from someone as prominent and connected within Philadelphia as Staley, an offer like that carries real weight beyond its sentiment.
A fandom that predates this signing by years
Staley’s reaction wasn’t a one-off moment of excitement — it’s consistent with a long-standing, publicly documented devotion to her hometown team. She’s been vocal about her support of the 76ers for years, regularly showing up in person during both the regular season and playoffs to back the team. That history matters here: this wasn’t a coach jumping on a trending headline for engagement, but a genuine fan reacting to news she’d clearly been hoping for.
In fact, Staley had been actively campaigning for this outcome before it happened. Earlier this month, once reports surfaced that James could be on the move this offseason, she posted directly to X encouraging him to choose Philadelphia: “Lawd…. @KingJames you about that Philly life?!! @sixers 🫣🫣🫣.” That earlier post frames her July 24 reaction not as a surprised response, but as the payoff to a public recruiting pitch she’d already been making — coach Staley, in a sense, working the transfer portal for her city’s NBA team.
A busy weekend, on and off the court
The timing of Staley’s reaction adds another layer of context. She posted the video while at an event for WNBA All-Star weekend in Chicago — meaning even amid her own significant professional obligations, she made time to publicly celebrate the signing in real time rather than waiting. That same weekend features three of her former South Carolina players — A’ja Wilson, Allisha Gray and Aliyah Boston — all competing in Saturday’s All-Star Game on July 25 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), underscoring just how much is on Staley’s plate this weekend between her program’s professional alumnae and her own hometown fandom colliding on the same July calendar.
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