Fans share mixed feelings about LeBron James ahead of his Sixers home debut: ‘He’s a special basketball player’
Before James' arrival in Philly, fans were indifferent, appreciated him from afar, or did not care for the all-time great. Those sentiments had long changed before the Sixers home opener vs. the Cavs.
Frank Lafferty never considered himself a LeBron James fan.
He respected James’ place among the NBA’s greatest players, but the star player’s complaints bothered Lafferty. So did James’ frequent team changes. For years, Lafferty watched from afar as James dominated the Eastern Conference, occasionally rooting against him.
Then, in July, James joined the Sixers.
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Lafferty was at work when he saw the news. He could hardly believe what he was reading.
“I was in disbelief for about an hour, and then I went home because I couldn’t focus anymore,” Lafferty said. “I’m still kind of processing. It still feels weird.”
Nearly three months later, Lafferty traveled two hours with his friends to attend Thursday night’s home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. He wanted to witness something he once would have found unimaginable: James being introduced as a Sixer.
After more than two decades of watching James compete in opposing uniforms, Sixers fans are adjusting to celebrating a player many spent years rooting against.
James, 41, joined the Sixers after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is teaming up with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and fellow offseason addition Jaylen Brown, giving Philadelphia renewed championship aspirations.
His first home appearance came against Cleveland, the franchise that selected him first overall in the 2003 NBA draft and with which he won the 2016 NBA championship.
Lafferty has mixed feelings about James.
“I have never been a big LeBron fan,” Lafferty said. “I’ve always respected him as the second-best player of all time. Very good player. I never liked a big whiner. I never liked team hopping.”
His frustration wasn’t necessarily rooted in the Sixers’ direct competition with James. Much of James’ dominance in the Eastern Conference with Miami and two stints in Cleveland came before Philadelphia emerged from its rebuilding years as a consistent playoff contender.
Instead, Lafferty recalled watching James repeatedly eliminate other Eastern Conference teams, particularly the Toronto Raptors.
In 2018, Lafferty desperately wanted James to come to Philadelphia. When James instead signed with the Lakers, he was disappointed.
Eight years later, he finally got his wish.
“It’s pretty awesome, man,” Lafferty said. “As a hater before, I’ve always respected him. Just now it’s cool to see him here.”
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Charles Buzeleski, a lifelong Sixers supporter and longtime season ticket holder, said he always admired James’ ability to elevate his teammates, even when rooting against him.
Buzeleski particularly remembered supporting Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors during their NBA Finals matchups against James’ Cavaliers.
“I was indifferent,” Buzeleski said. “I always thought that I enjoyed watching him play for the Lakers, Cavs, Heat. He’s just a special basketball player. He makes everyone around him better.”
Still, Buzeleski struggled to believe the news when James chose Philadelphia. He checked to make sure the announcement had come from ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.
“The fact that he picked Philadelphia, all the places he could have gone, for his final round is insane,” Buzeleski said. “The city really needed it.”
For Buzeleski, James’ addition represented a remarkable change from the teams he grew up watching.
He remembered the Allen Iverson era, Jrue Holiday’s time in Philadelphia, and the difficult rebuilding years featuring Nik Stauskas and Dario Šarić.
The year’s roster looks much different.
“If you would have told me that LeBron was coming to our team at any point in my life as a Sixers fan, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Buzeleski said.
For Lafferty, Thursday was about more than the result.
He and his friends spent considerable money and traveled two hours because they wanted to experience James’ first introduction in front of the home crowd, delivered by longtime Sixers public address announcer Matt Cord.
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“We want to hear Matty Cord announce, ‘From St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-9, small forward, LeBron James,’ and just hear the place go nuts,” Lafferty said.
For a fan who once disliked James, it was a moment worth traveling to Philadelphia to witness.
And if James delivers the championship the Sixers have been chasing since 1983, Lafferty has already decided how he’ll remember him.
“He’s my GOAT, that’s for sure,” he said.
