LeBron James receives warm reception in Cleveland, where his 24-year NBA journey started: ‘It’s kind of a special night’
James, who began his historic career with his hometown Cavaliers and won the 2016 NBA title in his return to the franchise, struggled in his first game back since joining the Sixers over the summer.
CLEVELAND — More than two hours before Friday’s tipoff between the 76ers and Cavaliers, four young men wearing different LeBron James jerseys crossed a street near Rocket Arena. Wine and gold for the Cavs. Black for the Miami Heat. Purple for the Los Angeles Lakers.
And the Sixers’ throwback black.
That quartet represented those from Northeast Ohio who have watched James embark on a legendary NBA journey — as the superstar of their hometown Cavaliers for two stints spanning 11 seasons, and as a visitor for 12-plus more. And Friday marked James’ first return as a Sixer, after he chose Philly as his likely final stop over another Cleveland reunion (among other destinations) in free agency.
While the reception for James — an Akron, Ohio, native who morphed into arguably the greatest player of all time and a global celebrity — mostly was warm, his individual and new team’s performances in a 119-95 blowout loss fell flat of any pregame hoopla. To James, the crowd environment landed in between the “depths of hell” of Dec. 2, 2010 — aka, his first time back here after leaving the Cavaliers for the Heat in “The Decision” — and “all the way to the heavens above” when he delivered Cleveland its long-awaited 2016 NBA title.
“Anything in between is easy money,” James said from his locker postgame.
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Even the day before Friday’s matchup, one could recognize the percolating intrigue.
While deplaning a Thursday morning flight from Philadelphia to Cleveland, a three-person conversation about James concluded with one participant saying, “It would have been nice to have him close the loop back here, but it’s fun to watch the Sixers.” A rideshare driver heading downtown, who acknowledged he preferred watching baseball over basketball, shared that he has friends who still brag about watching James play in high school (“He was a man among boys”) and appreciates James opening the I Promise School in Akron. A billboard on Huron Road across from Rocket Arena still commemorates the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship team, featuring James pictured in the center along with his now-iconic “Cleveland, this is for you” declaration.
Before the Sixers’ Friday’s shootaround, reserve forward Dean Wade — a fellow former Cavalier who already had experienced several of James’ return games in Cleveland — said he expected the arena to be “a madhouse.” Coach Nick Nurse echoed that sentiment and noted that there had been internal discussions about an anticipated “electric” atmosphere. All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey quipped that he has quickly gotten used to the constant hubbub surrounding this talent-rich roster that has started the season 8-2, saying it “it’s like Broadway every game.”
And Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who acknowledged feeling “depressed” for a couple days after James picked the Sixers, called Friday the type of game “you celebrate and try to enjoy.”
“It just doesn’t happen like this all the time,” Atkinson said. “So it’s kind of a special night.”
Fans had already populated the stands as James went through his pregame warmup — and greeted several familiar faces, such as the in-house DJ — more than an hour before tipoff. The concourse was flooded with more people wearing James jerseys — including the green and gold from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School — along with T-shirts bearing his “Witness” slogan. Three younger boys sitting together in the lower bowl resembled the guys spotted earlier outside, wearing James jerseys from various teams, but backward so his name and No. 23 were prominently displayed across their chests.
There was no tribute video for James on Friday, after a January retrospective shown while he was back as a Laker elicited a teary reaction. He was introduced last in the Sixers’ starting lineup, with more gusto from the public address announcer than the typical visitor would receive. Cheers outnumbered any smattering of boos.
“From pregame shooting times, it was rocking the whole time,” Wade said.
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Yet once the actual game began between two likely Eastern Conference contenders, James sputtered to his worst performance as a Sixer. He went 3-of-12 from the field for eight points. He totaled six turnovers against three assists. In one second-quarter sequence, he gave the ball away on offense and then got called for goaltending while trying to reject Peyton Watson’s layup at the opposite end. It took until the fourth quarter for James to grab a rebound and push it down the court for an authoritative finish.
James received a standing ovation when he checked out at the 3-minute, 54-second mark of the fourth quarter, with his team trailing by 20 points. But he did not linger on the court following the final buzzer, instead heading straight for the tunnel toward the visitors’ locker room.
“I definitely did not feel in a good rhythm offensively,” James said.
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More benchmark games are on deck for these star-studded Sixers.
Jaylen Brown will face his old team, the Boston Celtics, for the first time on Tuesday, then is expected to play in Boston as a visitor for the first time on Jan. 21. James on Christmas Day will return to Los Angeles for the first time since leaving the Lakers in free agency, and on Jan. 30 will be back in Miami, where he also previously starred and considered returning this summer.
But none of those are Cleveland, the city that defines so much of James’ historic NBA career. He spent part of this past offseason celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Cavaliers’ title with former teammates. And even after Friday’s clunker, James entertained a question about the magnitude of the day his jersey is finally raised into Rocket Arena’s rafters.
“The journey from being an 18-year-old rookie, to leading a franchise to a championship,” James said. “And everything in between.”
Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine go behind the scenes of covering LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the Sixers’ star-studded roster, and debate what’s real and not real about the team’s hot start. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
