PHILADELPHIA (AP) — LeBron James and Bryce Harper spent their careers on a parallel path toward stardom.They were teenage phenoms who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (back when magazines were cool) and both prodigies were No. 1 overall draft picks straight out of high school.When Harper earned his first chance at testing free agency, there was only one city, one contract that was right for him.Philadelphia.It took a few years, but Harper has some company on the short list of top elite athletes who have signed in Philadelphia.Harper and the Phillies.Pete Rose and Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies.Saquon Barkley and Reggie White and the Eagles.In the greatest July signature in Philadelphia since 1776, James has followed Harper from free agency to Philly when he rocked the NBA and signed a two-year deal for the bargain-basement price of $8 million total — only a smidge more per season than first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. will earn — that stamped the Sixers as the most compelling team in the league this season.Keeping tabs on the ballyhooed deal is Harper.“He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else," Harper said.
He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.”Here's the difference between James and all the superstars in the city that played before him.He's LeBron James.Meaning, his reach is so beyond the court — from fame around the globe to his bank account to the cash register to pop culture — that there is no fair comparison. 4 on Forbes' real-time list of wealthiest athletes at $1.4 billon, so his pay cut may not even be noticed in the ledger book. James has commercials and movie roles, and endorsement deals that alone would outearn every single player on the Sixers.Joel Embiid, league MVP and two-time scoring champion.
He's not LeBron.Jaylen Brown, NBA Finals MVP and champion, He's not LeBron.Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star and the real franchise player in Philly. He's not LeBron.“I think it’s pretty cool to have one of the greatest basketball players ever to play, in the same city,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. "So I’m excited for those who haven’t gotten a chance to see him play.”Here are the CliffsNotes:James is a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valua…
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