LeBron James Alludes to Family Sacrifice as He Chases First Championship with 76ers

LeBron James is speaking out about why he decided to sign with the 76ers

In his introductory press conference on Monday, the NBA star shared that his good friend Tyrese Maxey played a role

James also shared that he wanted to join a team that had a viable chance to win a championship

LeBron James may be wearing a new jersey but the loyalty he has to his family has never wavered.

In his first press conference with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Sept. 28 — and after months of buzz regarding his surprise decision — the NBA star, 41, laid out what led him to sign with the team.

James pointed to Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey — his good friend — as one of the "main deciding factors" in joining the squad.

"I was asking all the questions that I could ask him," James shared about their multiple exchanges. "It wasn't just one conversation. Our relationship, when I broke a lot of the teams and franchises down I could possibly play for, he was one of the main deciding factors."

But as for family, James puts his wife Savannah and their kids, Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri first.

"You have to fall in love with doing things that's uncomfortable and if we can do that then we can be a great team," James said. "If we don't do that then we be like, 'Oh man, it was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent and we lost in the second round.' Like I don't want to do that."

He added, "I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that for sure."

Last year in his eighth season with the Los Angeles Lakers , the team lost in the second round to the Oklahoma City Thunder .

With his new team, James shared that he is willing to do "whatever the team needs" for him to do.

"It's going to take time. ... Everyone wants instant oatmeal. ... If you want something special, it takes time and every single day, doing something that you may not want to do," he said. "In order for us to be great, we have to do things that are just not comfortable. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That is the best way to expedite being great."

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The 76ers tip off the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 20 against the defending champions, the New York Knicks .