LeBron James said he strongly considered joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets before deciding to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid or lining up aside [James] Harden and Chris [Paul],'' James said.

James never formally met with the Rockets or 76ers, though his representatives did meet with Philadelphia on July 1st.

The path for James to join the Rockets would have been difficult in terms of the salary cap.

James said his decision involved where his family would feel comfortable as well.