LeBron James, Jaylen Brown make Sixers debut at media day: Live updates

LeBron James grabbed and glanced at the name tag perched on a table, then quipped, “You guys know who I am, right?”

Those assembled inside the 76ers’ practice facility did, of course. James, one of the NBA’s all-time greats and a mainstream international celebrity, generally commands such hubbub. But the blue No. 23 jersey that James wore Monday amped that attention up even more. New teammate Tyrese Maxey even called seeing his friend and summer workout buddy’s new professional attire “really just weird.”

In James’ long-anticipated first day inside these walls — and first time speaking publicly since he chose the Sixers in a stunning free-agency move in July — the future Hall of Famer touched on needing to learn new streets and new people. The Northeast Ohio native mentioned getting reacclimated to weather in this part of the country, on the tail end of the weekend’s nor’easter storm. James acknowledged the outside noise surrounding the Sixers will be “doubled and tripped and quadrupled now that I’m here.”

At the end of last season, Joel Embiid was optimistic about what a summer without a major injury could do for the Sixers heading into next year.

So, what did he spend his summer doing?

“Nothing,” he said with a smirk. “Gained a lot of weight.”

During LeBron James' free-agency process, his agent, Klutch CEO Rich Paul, hinted that the hall of famer would've seriously considered joining the New York Knicks if they didn't win the 2026 NBA title.

James confirmed that in an interview with ESPN, explicitly stating that he was going to New York if they hadn't taken down the San Antonio Spurs in five games this summer.

"I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden," James told ESPN. "One of the best places I've ever played. I think it's the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, 'Hey, I can't.' I couldn't do it."

During Jaylen Brown's first press conference in Philadelphia in July, he mentioned the Sixers' group chat was already up and active as the new teammates got to know one another. VJ Edgecombe wanted to make sure everyone knew it was his idea.

“You know who really initiated the group chat? I did,” Edgecombe said.

When the Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown, Edgecombe told Tyrese Maxey that the two of them, plus Brown and Joel Embiid, should be in a group chat together.

When Jaylen Brown threw a goodbye “block party” in Boston this summer, the mayor and other elected officials came out to thank Brown for his service to the community.

When he came to the Sixers in a surprise trade this summer, he intentionally held his press conference at a Boys and Girls Club in Philadelphia, a signal of his intent to become active in the community, something that has been a passion for Brown throughout his career and something he touched in his comments at media day.

“What I value is the human connection, to be able to bring people together, uplift your community, and inspire people,” Brown said. “What I always preach is athletes are more than line items or stats on a sheet. I preach the human connection, how you uplift the community and bring people together. … I think we’re getting away from that.”

Tyrese Maxey's recruitment of LeBron James started years ago.

Maxey spent time in the gym with James prior to his rookie season and admitted that he shot a text to James a few years ago even though it was clear the hall of famer was set to return to the Lakers in free agency. Maxey joked that he knew it was a long shot but still asked James if he was interested in "coming back to the Northeast."

Those moments paid off this summer. When the Sixers added Jaylen Brown and James made it clear he wouldn't return to Los Angeles, things turned a bit more serious. Those conversations took a different shape and happened more often, according to James, who said he didn't have just one conversation about Philly with Maxey.

Joel Embiid flashed a smile when asked what role he played in the recruitment of LeBron James to Philadelphia.

“I didn’t talk to him, I didn’t recruit,” he said to some laughter at Sixers media day.

Kidding or not, that answer was in line with a summer in which Embiid said he purposefully maintained a low profile and worked on his body. Continuing his trend of potentially trolling answers, Embiid said he “gained” a lot of weight, even as he looks noticeably trimmer.

LeBron James is nothing if not self-aware.

He realizes that by coming to Philadelphia and joining a roster as talent-rich as the Sixers, there’s going to be a lot of “noise.”

And that was going to be “doubled, tripled and quadrupled” with him in town. So when the team goes through predictable tough stretches of the season, he’s ready to deal with that attention. But as James stated in his opening news conference, “the noise is just the noise.”

The Sixers will hold their annual media day Monday morning at 11 a.m., which has just a bit more juice this year thanks to the addition of LeBron James.

While James spoke a bit about why he picked Philly on his Mind the Game podcast, fans should get their first look at him in a Sixers jersey.

Monday will also be the first time Philly fans hear from Jaylen Brown, who the team landed in an offseason trade with the Boston Celtics. And Joel Embiid will speak to reporters for the first time since his team has been transformed into a top Eastern Conference contender.

The Sixers announced a new jersey patch partnership with Bloom Energy.

In a release, the Sixers said the deal will be “one of the most comprehensive and impactful patch partnership deals in the NBA.” One of Bloom Energy’s largest manufacturing hubs is located in Newark, Del., and as part of the partnership, the company will sponsor the Delaware Blue Coats’ jerseys.

The Sixers partnered with Crypto.com for six seasons beginning in 2021. No terms were ever officially announced, but reports at the time suggested the deal ran for six years, which would bring the deal to the end of 2026-27.

It should come as no surprise that 76ers tickets will be significantly more expensive this season after the massive additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.

But Thursday’s single-game ticket drop and the earlier presale for season-ticket holders still caused a bit of sticker shock for fans.

Single-game ticket prices started at $75 before fees for upper-deck seating, which bumped the final tally up to $88 with fees.

LeBron James got his first taste of Philadelphia in his senior year of high school when he played at the Palestra.

James spoke about his decision to join Philadelphia on the first episode of season four of his Mind the Game podcast with Hall of Famer Steve Nash released on Friday, including a big recruiting role played by Tyrese Maxey.

“When I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn’t be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line,” James said. “Calling me, ‘Yo, what we doing? Yo, what’s up OG? Come on down here, we could use you down here.’”