PHILADELPHIA -- The energy inside Xfinity Mobile Arena was undeniable. The new-look Philadelphia 76ers took the floor for the team's annual Blue X White scrimmage and everybody in the stands let their voices and cheers be heard when LeBron James took the floor for his first public appearance with the Sixers.
Philadelphia was able to land the future Hall of Famer in free agency on a 2-year $8 million deal and the 23-year veteran gave the city of Philadelphia a preview of what he can still do at this level. He threw down lobs, he crossed up his teammates, and also knocked down some tough 3-pointers to light up the crowd in Philly.
"It was great," James said after the scrimmage. "I mean, obviously, it was fun to be able to play in front of some of our
for Philly faithful for the first time. Like I said, be able to take what we've done on the practice floor, bring it to a game floor situation around our fans. So, it was a great first step in the direction we're trying to go. And like I said, it was great to hear some cheers."
James was on the floor with Joel Embiid as his teammate for the first time since the two helped Team USA win the gold in the 2024 Olympics. The two superstars were able to work some two-man actions and find ways to make things work out on the floor. The reps the two have had from that Olympic experience plus the reps in camp are beginning to come to light.
It also helps that Embiid looks much slimmer and healthier than he did in Paris with James and Co.
"The reps is just basically kind of picked up from 2024 during Olympics," James explained. "We had some chemistry. We played a lot of minutes. He started a lot of games for us that summer, but the difference between ‘24 and now, he's just so much more healthier. He hasn't missed a practice. He’s been in damn near everything that we've done. Pretty much, they’ve had to sit him out at times, even when he wanted to keep going. So, obviously you see even tonight how much he played tonight. So, it's been good. Actually, great."
LeBron James on Joel Embiid’s health compared to playing with him in the ‘24 Olympics: “The difference between ‘24 and now, he's just so much more healthier. He hasn't missed a practice. Been in damn near everything that we've done.” #Sixers pic.twitter.com/kavW0u3Zuh
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 3, 2026
With that being said, Saturday was just another day for James, Embiid, and the Sixers as they continue to prepare for the inevitable challenges in the 2026-27 season. Philadelphia has a lot of new players and a lot of high-usage players who can take a game over at any moment. James and the Sixers are in the midst of making sure everybody understands their roles.
"We're just trying to build," James finished. "Every day is an opportunity for us to get better and better. Just a 1% each day mentality for us. So, this is another extension of our training camp, and I feel like we were able to do some things that we've been working on, offensively and defensively. So, we're just trying to get better. I think today, we did that."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: LeBron James has positive update on Joel Embiid after Sixers scrimmage
