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Bob Myers thinks LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers says everything about his motivation at this stage of his legendary career: winning another championship. During an appearance on the Cousins podcast, the former Golden State Warriors executive explained why he considers LeBron choosing the Sixers the hardest path he could have taken compared to the other options available to him. “The question then is, I think if you want to take away something from this, this is what I would tell anybody watching, or you, too, take away: if you ever questioned the motivations of LeBron, he chose the hardest path, I think. “Now, you might say best chance to win. He goes back to Cleveland, he’s a made man. He’s done. He chose the one that was—there’s only one reason. It’s to win. It wasn’t because, ‘I played there before. I grew up there. I want to play with my friend.’ It was because, ‘I want to win, so I’m going to go where I want to go. It gives me the best chance to win.'” “I guess what I was saying is, would it have been easier to go back, to go play in Miami or Cleveland? The expectations are going to be different now. And he welcomed that by making the decision he made. So when I say hard…” There were certainly other destinations available to him. LeBron could have returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent 11 seasons, delivered the franchise’s only championship in 2016, and remains an icon. The Miami Heat were obviously another choice given LeBron’s history with the franchise. He won two championships and reached four consecutive Finals during his four seasons in South Beach. The Golden State Warriors were also an option, which could have given him a chance to play alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The Sixers offered none of those emotional connections. During LeBron’s free agency saga, Myers made the case that the Sixers could present him with an opportunity to contend immediately. Philadelphia ultimately became LeBron’s choice, giving him another chance to chase his fifth championship. But Myers’ hardest-path argument isn’t about the Sixers having the weakest roster. It is almost the opposite. LeBron went where he believed he had the best opportunity to win, which added more pressure than would have accompanied some of his other choices. Returning to Cleveland would have been a homecoming, where James had already accomplished everything and could have been celebrated through the end of his career. Another stint with the Heat would have brought him back to a franchise and organization he already knew, and he could have had a proper farewell there as well. Even going to the Warriors to play with Curry would have created a blockbuster ending, but there would have been fewer championship expectations given Golden State’s aging roster. The Sixers represent something completely different. LeBron is entering a new environment with immediate championship expectations. At this point in his career, there is no patience for building chemistry over several years. The entire purpose of the move is to compete right now and win today. That also means LeBron has voluntarily placed himself under another massive spotlight. If the Sixers win the championship, this will be remembered as yet another remarkable late-career gamble that paid off. If the Sixers fall apart, questions about whether LeBron chose the right destination will obviously follow. For Myers, though, the willingness to accept those expectations revealed what James’ decision was really about. At an age and stage of his career where he could have preferred familiarity, comfort, or sentiment, LeBron chose an unfamiliar franchise because he believed it offered him the best opportunity to win. And according to Myers, that should eliminate any questions about what continues to drive LeBron.