Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have all been communicating with LeBron James as the Philadelphia 76ers continue pursuing the 41-year-old free agent.

Maxey is also represented by Rich Paul and has trained alongside James during previous offseasons, previously referring to the future Hall of Famer as a "big brother." Embiid won a gold medal with James on Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Brown, who battled James in playoff series while playing for the Boston Celtics against James' Cleveland Cavaliers teams, received a public MVP endorsement from James in February.

"He's playing great basketball, man," James said at the time. "This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about some, as well. Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season."

James has also spoken favorably about Philadelphia's fan base in the past, including after a December game in which he scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the 76ers.

"One thing you know about Philly fans, they don't care about anybody besides their home teams, and I respect and I love that," said James. "I've played here, for obviously 23 years, a lot more when I was in Eastern Conference. But to be able to have an appreciation for the City of Brotherly Love and for me to go out and still play the game that I love and them respect it, whatever the case may be, if they do, it's pretty cool."

Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Philadelphia remains one of James' top potential destinations, alongside the Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, made Philadelphia's case directly during a recent appearance on the "Game Over" podcast hosted by Rich Paul, James' agent.

"If he was here, I'd say, 'I honestly believe this is your best chance to win. You have to decide all the other things that are equally important,'" said Myers. "What I would just say is, if it's about winning, let's talk about this team. Because you can win here in Philadelphia."

76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who previously worked with the Cavaliers during James' second stint with Cleveland, echoed that sentiment Monday.

"We've had conversations with Rich, really, since the Jaylen trade," said Gansey. "LeBron and his camp have kept quiet, and there has been speculation for different teams. But we'd obviously love to have LeBron. I respect the heck out of him. In my opinion, he's the best player of all time."