LeBron James made his first public appearance in a Philadelphia 76ers jersey on Saturday, thrilling close to 10,000 fans at the team's annual Blue x White scrimmage.
The 41-year-old was introduced in the starting lineup by the Sixers' public address announcer Matt Cord, who ended a brief retirement over the summer in part to be behind the microphone for the occasion. James took the floor wearing No. 9 — No. 23 is retired in Philadelphia in honour of Julius Erving, and James historically wore No. 6 only in practice gear during his career.
A sneak preview for Philly
The highlights came early and often. Tyrese Maxey found James in transition for an alley-oop dunk — with James hanging on the rim for several seconds — and the veteran later buried a long three-pointer, delivered a behind-the-back pass to V.J. Edgecombe and even bounced Maxey's baby daughter, Marvel, on his knee on the bench.
"It was a great first step in a direction we're trying to go," James said afterwards. "It was great to hear some cheers from our fans."
James shared the floor with Joel Embiid, Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Edgecombe — a starting group combining 36 All-Star appearances and five MVP awards — giving the Sixers faithful a first glimpse of a roster reshaped around championship expectations. The $10 tickets were a steal compared to the secondary market, where seats for the October 22 home opener against Cleveland were hovering around $1,000. The scrimmage also raised more than $80,000 for the Sixers Youth Foundation.
What's next
James is expected to play on Monday in the first of four preseason games, marking the start of his record 24th NBA season. Philadelphia opens the regular season on October 20 in New York against the NBA champion Knicks.
Sources:
- The Manila Times (Associated Press) — "LeBron puts on a show in 76ers' scrimmage debut"
- Sixers Wire (USA Today) — "LeBron James has positive update on Joel Embiid after Sixers scrimmage"
The 41-year-old was introduced in the starting lineup by the Sixers' public address announcer Matt Cord, who ended a brief retirement over the summer in part to be behind the microphone for the occasion. James took the floor wearing No. 9 — No. 23 is retired in Philadelphia in honour of Julius Erving, and James historically wore No. 6 only in practice gear during his career.
A sneak preview for Philly
The highlights came early and often. Tyrese Maxey found James in transition for an alley-oop dunk — with James hanging on the rim for several seconds — and the veteran later buried a long three-pointer, delivered a behind-the-back pass to V.J. Edgecombe and even bounced Maxey's baby daughter, Marvel, on his knee on the bench.
"It was a great first step in a direction we're trying to go," James said afterwards. "It was great to hear some cheers from our fans."
James shared the floor with Joel Embiid, Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Edgecombe — a starting group combining 36 All-Star appearances and five MVP awards — giving the Sixers faithful a first glimpse of a roster reshaped around championship expectations. The $10 tickets were a steal compared to the secondary market, where seats for the October 22 home opener against Cleveland were hovering around $1,000. The scrimmage also raised more than $80,000 for the Sixers Youth Foundation.
What's next
James is expected to play on Monday in the first of four preseason games, marking the start of his record 24th NBA season. Philadelphia opens the regular season on October 20 in New York against the NBA champion Knicks.
Sources:
- The Manila Times (Associated Press) — "LeBron puts on a show in 76ers' scrimmage debut"
- Sixers Wire (USA Today) — "LeBron James has positive update on Joel Embiid after Sixers scrimmage"
