Eight years after billboards asked him to come to the 76ers, LeBron James chose Philadelphia

Eight years after billboards asked him to come to the 76ers, LeBron James chose Philadelphia TIM REYNOLDS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: One of three billboards trying to entice then-Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James to come to Philadelphia are shown near a highway in 2018 in Cleveland. TONY DEJAK/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. 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 kilometres 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…