LeBron James made his Philadelphia 76ers debut Saturday at the team’s annual scrimmage. The veteran forward called it “a great first step” while emphasizing the work ahead to build chemistry among the new-look lineup.
Nearly 10,000 fans paid $10 to watch the scrimmage at the 76ers’ home arena. James, wearing No. 9 because No. 23 is retired for Julius Erving, connected immediately with Tyrese Maxey on an alley-oop dunk early in the game and knocked down a three-pointer from long range. He also made a behind-the-back pass to V.J. Edgecombe and spent time on the bench bouncing Maxey’s daughter on his knee.
LeBron James on the scrimmage and the road ahead
James emphasized the importance of translating practice work to game situations. “It was great, obviously; it was fun to play in front of our Philly faithful. To be able to take what we’ve done to the practice floor and bring it to the game… It was a great first step in the direction that we want to go,” he said after the scrimmage.
James also expressed confidence in the welcoming environment he has found in his first week with the team. “Everybody’s been super welcoming. I’ve been able to implement some things with my voice and just my command of how I play the game and my experience playing the game,” he said.
“I’m still getting more and more comfortable off the floor, with travel and without my family and things of that nature. That’s going to be a little bit of a challenge, but everything’s been good so far.”
Early Roster Questions
The 76ers’ starting lineup featured James, Maxey, Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, a combination with significant star power but unproven fit on the court. James earlier addressed this reality, acknowledging that the new roster will need time to develop chemistry. He pointed to practices, film sessions and travel as crucial opportunities to accelerate that process.
Embiid, who has dealt with injuries in the past, was a full participant in training camp and appeared in leaner, lighter shape during the scrimmage. He contributed a left-handed driving dunk and later joked it was “probably the last dunk of my career.”
James tempered expectations for the preseason, noting the team will continue fine-tuning in practices rather than pushing hard during exhibition games. “It’d be good to get out there with some of our guys to just get a rhythm. At the same time, also not overdo it.
We’re putting a lot into our practices right now. We’re fine-tuning what we want to do once the game comes.”
What’s Next
The 76ers face the defending NBA champion New York Knicks in their first preseason game Monday. Philadelphia opens the regular season Oct. 20 against the Knicks in New York. James is in his 24th NBA season and is expected to play in the preseason games as the team continues building cohesion.
Reporting from CBS Sports, The Associated Press, Bleacher Report and Sporting News contributed to this story.
