Kenny Atkinson isn’t expecting Friday night at Rocket Arena to feel ordinary. If anything, he’s bracing for the kind of reception that cuts through the noise.
LeBron James returns to Cleveland for the first time since choosing Philadelphia in free agency, and Atkinson believes the crowd will greet him warmly.
“Our crowd is always respectful, and they love LeBron, they love Bronny,” Atkinson said. “Like, that’s what I’ve seen. I think it’s, I think they’ll, I think we’ll get a huge, if I’m to guess, we’ll get a huge ovation.”
He doubled down on that view by framing the night as something bigger than a single game.
“I just think it’s a great night, right?” Atkinson continued.
“He’s back here, he’s playing great. Sixers are playing great.
It’s like these are games you celebrate and try to enjoy. It just doesn’t happen like this all the time.
It’s kind of a special night.”
Friday’s Emirates NBA Cup group-stage matchup tips at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video, with Philadelphia arriving at 8-1, the best record in the NBA.
The 76ers have won five straight. Cleveland comes in at 4-4 after dropping twice to the Oklahoma City Thunder this week.
James’ first trip back to Rocket Arena since his decision carries plenty of history with it. He spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers across two stints, from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, and left behind a pile of franchise marks. His 23,119 points are the most in team history, as are his 8,369 field goals, compiled over 849 regular-season games.
His second run in Cleveland produced the defining moment of the era: the 2016 Finals comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. That championship was Cleveland’s first major professional title since 1964, and James earned Finals MVP honors after averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in the series.
After that came eight seasons with Los Angeles. His free agency this summer stretched beyond three weeks before he announced on July 24 that he was signing with Philadelphia instead of returning to Cleveland or joining the Miami Heat. The deal is worth $8 million over two years, and he holds a player option on the second season.
His announcement thanked Los Angeles, said his love for Miami is forever, and ended with a line aimed at Northeast Ohio, calling it a place that “will always [be] home.”
The last time Cleveland and Philadelphia met, the story turned into a comeback for the ages. On Oct. 22, in James’ home debut with the 76ers, the Cavaliers built a 69-45 halftime lead and were up by as many as 29. Philadelphia still stormed back to win 114-106, the biggest comeback victory of James’ career.
James finished that night with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, then called Philadelphia one of the best sports cities in the world.
“It was everything that I dreamed of and more,” James said. “We got the boos.
That was amazing, and we deserved it. And then we got the cheers and almost blew the roof off this thing tonight, in a good way.
It was a hell of a night.”
He has kept rolling since then. Through seven games, James is averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. On Wednesday in Detroit, he became the first player in NBA history with 16,000 career field goals, then posted 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in Philadelphia’s 112-106 win over the Pistons.
Now 41 and in his 24th NBA season, James walks back into a building that knows him well. Bronny James is not with Philadelphia; the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him 55th overall in 2024, and he remains on their roster in his third NBA season.
Dean Wade, who spent seven seasons in Cleveland before joining the 76ers, is also expecting the atmosphere to be loud.
The schedule doesn’t slow down after Friday. Cleveland hosts the Knicks on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in the back half of a back-to-back, while Philadelphia heads to Chicago for a Sunday matchup with the Bulls.
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