A LeBron fan’s guide to Sixers fandom: A fun song, weird injuries, and a divisive ‘Process’

When LeBron James signed with the 76ers, he wasn’t just bringing his talent to the roster, he was bringing a whole new fan base to Philadelphia as well.

As one of the most famous basketball players of all time, James’ fans run deep and wide. So if you’ve spent the past few years rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers after multiple stints as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan and experienced a couple championships while rooting for James on the Miami Heat, here’s what you need to know about being a Sixers fan:

There’s a chance you’ll be hearing a lot of the Sixers victory song, “Here Come the Sixers” this season, so be prepared to know every word.

The tune was commissioned in 1975 by the then-general manager Pat Williams as a way to bring energy into the arena. Randy Childress, Terry Rocap, and Joe Sherwood, better known as the band Fresh Aire, created the song that’s still used today and encourages fans to “clap your hands” and “stomp your feet” for the Sixers.

In 1986, when Williams left the Sixers, the song became less used until the early 2000s, when WIP host Angelo Cataldi repopularized it on his show.

If you can remember the hand clapping, the feet stomping, and can count “one, two, three, four, five, Sixers,” you already know the basics of the song.

» READ MORE: How ‘Here Come the Sixers’ became the hit record three Delco friends once dreamed of

If you’ve ever watched an episode of The Pitt, Grey’s Anatomy, or any other medical drama and thought that some of the ailments seemed a little far-fetched, then you don’t know the Sixers.

Shortly after Markelle Fultz returned after a monthslong shoulder injury, he collided with Joel Embiid during a game, breaking Embiid’s orbital bone in 2018. And it wouldn’t be the only time Embiid broke that facial bone. He did so again in 2022 after an elbow to the face in Game 6 of the first round of playoffs against the Toronto Raptors. He also dealt with Bell’s palsy, or facial paralysis, on the left side of his face during the 2024 playoff run. And these are just Embiid’s face-related injuries.

But if those aren’t convincing enough, there also is the time in 2018 Zhaire Smith ate a chicken dish during his rookie season and suffered a severe allergic reaction because of sesame in the dish. Fortunately, Smith was OK.

With Ben Simmons’ fractured foot after rolling over his ankle in training camp as a rookie, or the time Kelly Oubre Jr. reportedly being hit by a car, the injury list goes on and on.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid injury tracker

The mascot is a dog.

Yes, on a team with Constitutional-esque branding, the mascot is a dog. Franklin the dog to be exact.

But there’s still a founding father tie-in there. Franklin gets his name from none other than Ben Franklin, whose legacy lives on in the Constitution, electricity, and a giant dog with blue fur.

Franklin was introduced in 2015, marketed as a “fan’s best friend,” after the Sixers went four years without a mascot.

Before Franklin, there was Hip-Hop, the acrobatic rabbit known for slam dunks. Hip-Hop, who reigned as the primary mascot from 1998 to 2011, was brought back as a secondary mascot for the 2025-26 season.

The first Sixers mascot, however, was Big Shot, a fuzzy blue creature with red hair and big sunglasses, who came from the same creators as the Phillies’ mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. Big Shot was the Sixers’ mascot from 1982 to 1996.

» READ MORE: Sixers fans hated Big Shot. Then a guy from Bridesburg made the mascot come alive. | from 2023

“Trust the Process” has become a slogan closely associated with the Sixers’ rebuild process, starting in 2013 under former general manager Sam Hinkie.

During the Hinkie years, “The Process” became synonymous with tanking for draft picks in an attempt to rebuild. Despite some big trades, like trading the team’s only All-Star at the time, Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth overall draft pick, some continued to trust.

Others weren’t so sold, and the phrase became divisive among Sixers fans.

“The Process,” however, has since led to the Sixers acquiring Jaylen Brown and James during this offseason, with James even hinting during Fanatics Fest a few weeks before signing with Philly that he wanted to go somewhere that he could “trust the process.”

Love it or hate it, “The Process” is part of the Sixers lore.

If you’re going to fit in at a Sixers game, or really any Philly sporting event, it’s important to know that it’s OK to boo. It’s even encouraged.

This doesn’t just apply to opposing teams or bad calls by the refs, it goes for the Sixers own players, too. If a player — or the team at large — isn’t performing well, Philly fans aren’t afraid to let them hear it.

When the Sixers are playing against the top talent from an opposing team, especially the Knicks or the Celtics, you better let them hear it as well.

And while being a Sixers fan doesn’t automatically mean being a fan of other Philly teams, it’s best to learn the words to the Eagles chant as well. Those aren’t resolved for Lincoln Financial Field, and more often than not, they’ll ring out at any Philly event, sports-related or not.

It’s especially common after a loss by one of the other big four sports teams, so start studying.

Those are some of the big things that make up the basic knowledge of a Sixers fan, but these are some other fun facts to keep in mind as well:

The King Picks Philly

Purchase a front page reprint of The Philadelphia Inquirer from Saturday, July 25, 2026, featuring LeBron James following the news that he was joining the 76ers. Buy it here.