PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles were sent scrambling when blood clots sidelined Jalen Hurts, likely for the year. The Flyers opened their season with nine losses in a row.
Now, with an all-time great on the premises, the stage is set for Philadelphia to be a 76ers city.
Three months after LeBron James revealed his fourth team and self-proclaimed “last decision,” thousands of fans poured in Thursday to witness James’ first home opener with Philadelphia.
The crowd bellowed when James was announced in pregame introductions, just before franchise centerpiece Joel Embiid, and he followed his teammates onto the court. Soon after, fans found another level when James performed his ritual “chalk toss” on the scorer’s table for the first time in his new home.
“Obviously it’s always great for the city and the energy,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said pregame. “You can feel it in the streets and stuff and around the building.”
The Sixers, whose last championship came in 1983, opened the season Tuesday by spoiling the New York Knicks’ banner-raising at Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 victory. James compiled 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his team debut.
Two days later, James arrived at Xfinity Mobile Arena to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team and the franchise he’ll be associated with first and foremost.
An hour and change before tipoff, James, 41, was on the court warming up wearing a short-sleeved hoodie.
Elsewhere, 76ers fans filled the stadium concourse, where jerseys with James’ No. 23 and the block-lettered PHILA outnumbered jerseys of Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey, the team’s other stars.
Every seat in the arena bore a free white T-shirt commemorating the Sixers’ opening night, with caricatures of Nurse and each player, and James near the center. And legendary Philly boxer Bernard Hopkins was on hand to perform the team’s pregame “Ring the Bell” custom, ringing a replica of the Liberty Bell.
James, who didn’t speak before the game, said at the team’s preseason media day that he respected Philadelphia basketball culture, from the famed Palestra gymnasium to his experiences as a visiting player.
“It’s been like, ‘OK, we respect the way you play the game because we know the game, and we know the history of the game and we’ve seen so many players play the game. But we hate you. You’re not with us, we hate you,’” James explained then. “… And I love that. Actually, I really love it. I really thrive under that circumstance. But yeah, it’s always been mutual respect, it’s always been mutual respect with myself and the Philly fans.”
Some additional fuel was added to the fire Thursday when, hours before the game, President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform that James “disrespect(ed) our country” by appearing to mime a golf swing and a jump shot during the pregame performance of the national anthem Tuesday in New York.
“I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump wrote. “LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!”
Nurse was asked pregame how he felt about that extra layer of outside noise, at the start of the 76ers’ most anticipated season in recent memory.
“I think that goes right in with other outside noise we’ve already had, right?” Nurse said. “And I kind of keep saying the same thing. All I really care about is getting them to the practice floor, getting them in the film room, getting them to the game floor, and the focus that they’ve had and the intent and all the stuff they’ve had has been excellent.”
During Thursday’s rendition of the anthem by Boyz II Men, James appeared to shift in place to stay loose but did not move more than that.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
