LeBron James makes his 76ers debut: chemistry with Maxey, Embiid and the start of his 24th season
In his first scrimmage wearing Philadelphia colors, LeBron already connected with Tyrese Maxey for an alley-oop and knocked down a long-range three. His official debut comes October 20 against the Knicks.
LeBron James played his first game in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform this weekend, in an intrasquad scrimmage in front of nearly 10,000 fans who each paid $10 to see him at Xfinity Mobile Arena. At 41, James opens his 24th NBA season with a team completely different from the one that watched him win four rings, and the first glimpses already show why Philadelphia bet so heavily on him.
LeBron James and Joel Embiid already knew each other from Team USA; now they share a locker room in Philadelphia.
What happened in LeBron's first scrimmage with Philadelphia
The quirky detail came before anything else happened: James took the court wearing #9, since the #23 he wore his entire career is retired in Philadelphia in honor of Julius Erving. Everything else was exactly what the 76ers hoped to see. Maxey found James in transition for an alley-oop that LeBron finished by hanging on the rim for a few seconds. He later knocked down a long-range three and threw a no-look, behind-the-back assist to VJ Edgecombe, who missed the corner three but made clear the connection is already there.
Joel Embiid had his moment too: a driving left-handed dunk that was a reminder of why, when healthy, he's still one of the most dominant centers in the league. There was also a moment that didn't show up in the box score but that Philadelphia fans will remember: during a break on the bench, LeBron bounced Maxey's daughter on his knee, a scene that sums up the tone this group is starting the season with.
James was brief but direct talking to reporters after the scrimmage: "It was a great first step in a direction we're trying to go," adding that it was "great to hear some cheers from our fans." There were no big declarations or title promises — just the sense, shared by players and coaching staff alike, that the experiment is already starting to work on the court.
LeBron's new offensive role and the Maxey connection
The most important thing about the scrimmage wasn't any single play — it was how quickly James and Maxey found each other in transition, which isn't something you improvise overnight. Maxey is, by a clear margin, the best ball-handler James has had as a regular teammate since his years with Kyrie Irving, and the read he made on that alley-oop suggests the coaching staff already worked on that combination in practice.
For James, this represents a real change in role. In Los Angeles, he carried the ball-handling load on nearly every possession for much of his eight seasons as a Laker. In Philadelphia, with Maxey as the offense's primary engine, James can move more without the ball, attack the space Embiid creates from the post, and show up as a finisher in transition — exactly the kind of role that best preserves legs at 41.
The 76ers' project: LeBron, Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe
James arrived in Philadelphia on a two-year, $8 million contract, a figure well below what he could have commanded on the open market, and left the Lakers after eight seasons. The franchise's bet didn't stop with him: Jaylen Brown arrived via trade after an entire ten-season career with the Boston Celtics, with whom he won a title in 2024.
The core of the team
The starting lineup seen in the scrimmage combines Embiid as the interior anchor, Maxey as the offense's engine, Brown as a second scoring option and high-impact defensive forward, Edgecombe as the young talent (he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season), and James as the veteran leader connecting all the pieces. Behind them, bench depth adds Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and rookie Labaron Philon Jr.
Changes in the front office
The project also brought a change in the basketball operations department: Daryl Morey was fired as president of basketball operations, and Mike Gansey came in as his replacement. It's a detail that doesn't show up on the court but partly explains the franchise's appetite for assembling a roster of this caliber all at once.
The risks: age, injuries and roster depth
None of this is guaranteed, and the risks are the same ones that have followed this project since it was announced. James is 41 and, while still functional, is no longer the player capable of carrying an entire offense over 82 games. Embiid, for his part, has had several seasons marked by physical issues that have kept him from playing full slates of games, and his durability remains the biggest question hanging over the whole project.
Roster depth is another point of concern. Outside the starting five, Philadelphia doesn't have the same volume of impact pieces as other Eastern Conference contenders, which means an injury to any of its four headline names could derail the season quickly. And while the scrimmage showed real offensive chemistry, an October intrasquad game still says nothing about how this group will respond under real pressure, against real opponents, over a full regular season.
Next game: the official debut on October 20
The schedule is already confirmed. The 76ers open the regular season October 20 on the road against the New York Knicks, the defending NBA champions, and make their home debut October 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that, two preseason tests remain: against the Brooklyn Nets on October 8, and two meetings with the Boston Celtics on October 10 and 16 — the same team Jaylen Brown came from.
Later on the calendar, Christmas Day brings one of the most anticipated games of the season: Philadelphia will visit the Los Angeles Lakers, the team James left behind after eight years. The NBA has already confirmed the 76ers will play 30 national TV games this season, a clear sign of how much attention this experiment is going to get from day one.
Can this project actually work?
A preseason scrimmage doesn't define a season, but it does leave a first impression, and Philadelphia's was a promising one: speed in transition, immediate chemistry between James and Maxey, and an Embiid who looks committed from day one. The real question is still open: can a roster built around a 41-year-old LeBron and an injury-prone Embiid hold up over a full season and actually compete for the title in the East? What do you think — can this 76ers group really compete for a ring this season?
