LeBron James made his first appearance in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform on Monday and made it clear he’s not showing up just to absorb the spotlight or smile for cameras.
When he took his seat at the dais before his media day press conference Monday in Camden, N.J., James picked up his rectangular name card and put it under the table.
“You guys know who I am, right?” James said with a smile in a blue No. 23 jersey with PHILA scripted across the front.
James starts training camp with a new team on Tuesday, with the season opener against the NBA champion New York Knicks three weeks away (Oct. 20).
He joined the Sixers on a two-year, $8 million deal in July and gives Philadelphia a roster loaded with All-Stars. The 76ers acquired Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics and already had rising star V.J. Edgecombe and a dynamic All-NBA duo in point guard Tyrese Maxey and center Joel Embiid. Anfernee Simons, 27, took less money to be part of the group after playing a leading role with the Blazers.
James said he understands the expectations in Philadelphia and beyond are through the roof. He wants teammates to embrace the pressure of the higher bar and title contender expectations, but warned fans in Philly the blend of superstar talent doesn’t guarantee immediate results.
“It’s going to take time. It’s going to take time. I think people, sometimes they don’t really want to work, and everyone wants like instant oatmeal,” James said.
James changed teams for the first time in eight years, ceding the alpha role on the Lakers to Luka Doncic. He knows well from experiences in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles as he approaches 2 1/2 decades in the NBA.
“In order for us to be great, we have to do things that are just not comfortable. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” James said. “That is the best way to expedite being great. You have to fall in love with doing things that’s uncomfortable, and if we can do that, then we can be a great team.
“If we don’t do that, then we’ll be like, ‘Oh man, it was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent. And we lost in the second round.’ I don’t wanna do that. I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.”
James, 41, told the Sixers before signing he wants to do whatever the team needs, which can change based on injuries or development of younger players.
“Whatever the team needs me to do,” James said of his expected role. “The luxury of my game is that I can do everything. Literally. I can do everything.”
Head coach Nick Nurse welcomed James with an all-encompassing “offensive creator” title.
How all of the pieces eventually fit might not be evident at first. Simons said there is open dialogue about the “sacrifice” needed from all involved to make the team theme work.
Like Simons, James, Embiid and Maxey have all carried a team as the top scorer in the past.
Just last season, Brown was No. 4 in the NBA in scoring with the Celtics at 28.7 points per game. He wouldn’t declare on Tuesday who the “alpha” on the team was, but teammates spoke glowingly about his two-way impact as a defender and rebounder.
“(Brown) plays his heart out each and every night,” Simons said. “Like I saw last year, Game 7 (Celtics-Sixers) he was guarding Joel. He’s easily a top two-way guy in the NBA. He’s a guy that can go in there and guard their best player and give you 30. Last year I saw him on multiple occasions guard Kawhi (Leonard) and score 50 points. … That’s what makes him special.”
