LeBron James impressed as he made his preseason debut for the Philadelphia 76ers following his blockbuster signing this summer.
The 41-year-old joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season but his debut was forced to wait until Thursday night after he missed the Sixers’ first preseason game against the New York Knicks through ‘chronic arthritis’ in his left foot.
He finally made his first appearance with his new team Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets, getting started on the expected final stop in his career.
And James looks set to make a big impact on the Philadelphia 76ers, and the NBA‘s career scoring leader may not even need to shoot much to do it.
The legend had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half, helping the 76ers to a 58-56 lead.
The forward was credited with only one shot from the field in 18 minutes, though was fouled four times and made all eight free throws. James didn’t even attempt a shot until he was fouled on a drive to the basket with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter. But with Philadelphia’s firepower, he won’t need to look for his offense very much.
LeBron James impressed as he made his preseason debut for the Philadelphia 76ers
The 41-year-old joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season
James, the all-time NBA points scorer, looks set to make a big impact on the Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers got a first look at the potent lineup they put together this summer. James and fellow All-Star newcomer Jaylen Brown started with holdovers Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Maxey scored 14 points, the other starters had at least six and the basketball was sharp at times.
The 76ers missed their first shot when James threw a pass low toward Embiid’s feet. The 7-footer caught it awkwardly but was off-balance and shot an airball on a turnaround jumper.
Philadelphia then made its next seven shots, with James finding open men himself or on one possession slipping a pass to Embiid, who moved it to Brown for a dunk.
Coach Nick Nurse said he expected to play his starters about half the game, though Embiid was still on the floor to start the second half with Brown and Edgecombe. Most of them sat out a victory over the New York Knicks in their preseason opener on Monday.
James spent the last eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing a two-year deal with the 76ers for the league minimum with just $8 million in total.
However, the veteran faces the challenge of staying healthy enough to contribute as the Sixers eye an NBA Championship.
He was forced out of the team’s preseason opener earlier this week with ESPN claiming he was battling ‘chronic arthritis’ in his left foot.
James also missed the first month of last season due to problems with sciatica in his lower back.
