LeBron James brought a little extra Philly flavor to the 76ers’ preseason opener, showing up in the stands wearing a Phillies cap as Philadelphia rolled past the Knicks on October 5.
The sight line was fitting on a night when the Sixers looked sharp from the jump and Jaylen Brown handled the spotlight. Brown, the team’s new star forward acquisition, led the charge in a game that had the feel of an early statement, and the article even noted that he looked like a young James as he pushed the Sixers forward.
Philadelphia finished off a 120-97 win over the defending champion Knicks, giving coach Nick Nurse his first extended look at the reworked roster against one of the league’s top teams. Five Sixers scored in double figures, with Caleb Love finishing second on the team behind Brown with 15 points.
There was one sour note in an otherwise encouraging night. Joel Embiid backup Ariel Hukporti went down with a lower leg injury, taking some of the shine off the victory and leaving a dent in the team’s depth. Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and fan favorite Tacko Fall all sat out as well.
The next chance for the Sixers to keep building comes October 8, when they hit the road to face the Brooklyn Nets in another preseason game. James and his star teammates’ status remains unsettled, but Philadelphia has time to keep sorting through the pieces before the NBA’s first weekend of regular season action.
LeBron can tell playing with Jaylen Brown will be easy 👀 pic.twitter.com/dgSfHNAxby
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 5, 2026
For now, James looks right at home in the City of Brotherly Love, with the source pointing to his chase for a first title since 2020, when he won it all with the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis in the NBA’s Orlando-based COVID “Bubble.”
In Other News...
Joel Embiid Got Pulled Into A Strange LeBron Rumor Fast
The 76ers preseason opener briefly turned into an odd side story when broadcaster Mike Breen said he had heard Joel Embiid was a few minutes late to a recent practice and was confronted by LeBron James. It was the kind of stray detail that can take on a life of its own in October, especially when it involves one of the leagues biggest names and a Philadelphia star already under a bright spotlight as the team starts laying groundwork for the season ahead.
LeBron James later shut the report down on social media, saying Embiid had not been late. So the rumor did not linger long, but it still added a strange wrinkle to a night meant to be about the 76ers getting back into game mode. Philadelphia now moves on to the rest of its preseason schedule and, eventually, the start of the 2026-27 regular season with the usual attention on Embiid and everything that follows him. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers May Have A Low-Risk Answer To Their New Frontcourt Problem
The Clippers decision to waive two-way center Jamarion Sharp has put a familiar kind of low-cost big man on the market at exactly the moment the Sixers need one. Philadelphia has an open two-way roster spot, and with Ariel Hukporti injured, frontcourt depth has become a more immediate concern than it was just a few days ago.
Sharp brings a profile the Sixers could find appealing: a 7-foot-5 developmental center with strong defensive numbers in the G League and the sort of rim protection that can at least help stabilize minutes in a pinch. The question now is whether Philadelphia sees enough upside to use that two-way slot on another project, or whether it keeps looking for a more ready-made answer to its frontcourt problem. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Love Is Giving The 76ers A Roster Problem They'd Love
Caleb Love arrived in Philadelphia on a two-way deal, but he has already started making that arrangement feel temporary. After a solid rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he carved out a real rotation role, Love has carried that momentum into camp and looked like a player who belongs in a bigger conversation. In a recent preseason game, he put up 15 points and added contributions across the board, giving the Sixers another guard option with some two-way versatility.
For a team that is always balancing immediate expectations with long-term roster flexibility, that kind of production creates a good problem. Love has shown enough early to make the Sixers think about whether his role should grow if this keeps up, and whether a standard NBA contract might become the natural next step. For now, Philadelphia gets to keep evaluating, but the early returns are making it harder to treat him like just another depth piece. [Read more 🡒]