Eagles Star Saquon Barkley Sends Strong Message to LeBron James About Playing in Philly

Saquon Barkley is leading the recruitment effort for a superstar athlete to come to Philly, even though he won't be teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles star running back spearheaded the recruitment effort to attract LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers, talking up the Greater Philly area during his football camp in Haddonfield, New Jersey this week.

King James, of course, is arguably the greatest NBA player of all-time but recently broke up with the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons there. Reports have indicated James is considering the 76ers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors as his next team.

Saquon Barkley Talked up Philadelphia to Attract LeBron James

Unlike his other potential landing spots, there is nothing tying James to Philadelphia. He grew up in Ohio, came of age in South Beach and has ties to Steph Curry from their time playing for USA Basketball.

Yet, Barkley, who of course jumped from the rival New York Giants to the Eagles then won Super Bowl LIX, appealed to his experience while trying to attract James.

"I think it is one of the greatest sports towns in the world," Barkley told NBC Sports Philadelphia. "If you want to go out with a bang, I feel like a great spot would be in Philly, and bringing a championship to Philadelphia, you'd be remembered forever."

Barkley has seen Philadelphia fans at their most insane, both as a rival and a friend. But even though the Sixers haven't captured the city's imagination -- they haven't been to the Finals since 2001 and last won the title in 1983 -- Barkley knows they'd have that potential.

"They're crazy, but in a different way," he said. "When you're on the Giants' side, oh these mother-ers are insane. On this side, you see they just love it."

The Eagles are Raising the bar for Philadelphia Fans

The Sixers captured the city's attention after their run to the second round, where they upset the Boston Celtics in seven games. They, of course, just landed Jaylen Brown from the Celtics and are about a LeBron-sized piece from being one of the favorites in the East.

That may not matter to Eagles fans specifically, but friendly competition raises the bar everywhere. Boston fans often cite how the organizations all were inspired by their peers to compete for titles after seeing the city's response first to the Patriots Super Bowl before the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins all won championships.

Philadelphia is a city not unlike Boston, especially from a sports-fan perspective. The Eagles are the king, and they are enjoying a run as the NFL's model franchise, and that seems to be inspiring the teams around them to follow suit.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 8:40 AM.