Oncast Sports · The Pregame

LeBron's Philly home debut

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

LeBron James, 41, played his first home game as a Philadelphia 76er on Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, performing his trademark pregame chalk toss before the nationally televised game. He joined the Sixers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season, after a decorated tenure elsewhere, and had already debuted for the team on the road in Brooklyn on Oct. 8. In the home opener he helped lead the Sixers past the defending-champion Knicks in the season opener two days earlier, contributing 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

James signed with Philadelphia largely due to his close friendship with Tyrese Maxey, whom James has credited with swaying his decision. The Sixers assembled a star-studded lineup around James, adding Jaylen Brown alongside Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, in a push to contend for a title immediately.

LeBron James performed his signature chalk toss before his first home game as a Philadelphia 76er on Thursday night against Cleveland, after having done it earlier in the preseason on the road in Brooklyn.

Same event as above — LeBron James's chalk toss at his Sixers home debut on Thursday against the Cavaliers; the first instance in a Sixers uniform actually occurred in Brooklyn on Oct. 8. Promotional post for a Thursday Night Football game between the Patriots and Bears on Prime Video; no factual claim to verify beyond the game listing. POST 2113413888817463423: NOCLAIM Highlight caption from LeBron's home debut; descriptive praise, not a checkable factual claim. POST 2113012457069535247: NOCLAIM Podcast episode promo with no checkable factual claim. POST 2112890394270945526: NOCLAIM Duplicate podcast promo with no checkable factual claim. POST 2113255929005171196: NOCLAIM Fan opinion praising last year's Dodgers win and hoping for a Rays win; opinions and predictions are not checkable fac

Fact-check

VERIFIED TRUE

LeBron James performed his signature chalk toss before his first home game as a Philadelphia 76er on Thursday night against Cleveland, after having done it earlier in the preseason on the road in Brooklyn.

For the first time at home as a Sixer... LeBron's signature chalk toss 🔥 https://t.co/KxKIzqVrR9 https://t.co/jy3n3Qs0Gu

Original post · @NBA

ESPN NAMES: Sixers = Philadelphia 76ers (NBA team)

VERIFIED TRUE

Same event as above — LeBron James's chalk toss at his Sixers home debut on Thursday against the Cavaliers; the first instance in a Sixers uniform actually occurred in Brooklyn on Oct. 8. Promotional post for a Thursday Night Football game between the Patriots and Bears on Prime Video; no factual claim to verify beyond the game listing. POST 2113413888817463423: NOCLAIM Highlight caption from LeBron's home debut; descriptive praise, not a checkable factual claim. POST 2113012457069535247: NOCLAIM Podcast episode promo with no checkable factual claim. POST 2112890394270945526: NOCLAIM Duplicate podcast promo with no checkable factual claim. POST 2113255929005171196: NOCLAIM Fan opinion praising last year's Dodgers win and hoping for a Rays win; opinions and predictions are not checkable fac

The first one at home 🤩 https://t.co/bBLj3FfOPo https://t.co/jy3n3Qsyw2

Original post · @NBA

Bleacher Report POST 2113414634346561817: NOCLAIM

Sources

What the hosts said

LLeBron's chalk toss in Philly just hit the league account, and the building went NUTS.
MSeven minutes old and already the moment of the night. I watched it live — he didn't rush it either. Full ritual.
LForty-one years old, first home game in a Sixers uniform, and he still owns every camera in the building.
MYou know the funny part? He actually did the chalk toss in Brooklyn two weeks ago. The first one as a Sixer wasn't even in Philly.
LDoesn't matter. Brooklyn was a road game in October. THIS was the home debut, the real one. Crowd of nineteen-seven-forty-six, sold out.
MSellout for a preseason home finale. For a chalk toss. That's what Bron brings.
LAnd look at what he did in the opener two nights ago: fourteen, nine, six — won the game against the defending champs.
MHere's what I love about this move. Everyone said he came for the money, the market, whatever. He's said it himself — Maxey swayed him. That's the story.
LTyrese Maxey is basically his little brother at this point. And now you put Jaylen Brown next to them, Embiid in the middle, Edgecombe coming up...
MThat's a title roster! That's not a retirement tour, that's a parade route!
LEasy, Marcus. They've played two games.
MTwo games and they beat the KNICKS. The champs! Bron put up nearly a triple-double in his first real Sixers action.
LHere's my question though — how much does he have left in the tank for eighty-two games plus a deep run?
MThirty-five minutes a night, maybe. He doesn't need to carry anymore. That's the whole point of this roster.
LI'm just saying, the Eastern Conference is a meat grinder. Sixers fans better enjoy the chalk toss, because April is a different animal.
MYou know what that chalk toss told me? He's not treating this like a farewell. He's treating it like a first day of school.
LOkay, that's good. The dunk off the Maxey alley-oop had the place shaking, by the way.
MESPN described it as a two-handed dunk after he locked eyes on the ball. Forty-one. TWO hands. That's insane.
LDifferent world, different league. Speaking of which — you see the league account pushing Bears-Patriots tonight?
MChicago's guy, they called it. Eight-fifteen on Prime. Caleb Williams gets another prime-time spotlight.
LAnd I'm watching that for one reason only: Drake Maye facing a Bears defense that's been getting home.
MMaye is the guy you're watching? Against that pass rush? He might not finish the game.
LThat's the test! If he gets on schedule, uses his legs, gets the ball out quick — that's growth.
MOr he holds it too long and takes five sacks. Chicago's front seven is NOT the week to be stylish.
LWe'll know by halftime. If the Patriots are within a score, Maye did his job.
MAnd if they're down seventeen, we're never speaking of this again.
LMeanwhile, over on ESPN FC's channel — Manchester United is an absolute disaster in both competitions.
MSeven league games, seven points. Three Champions League games, three points. That's... symmetry, and misery.
LAt this rate they're going to finish with the exact same number of points in both. Forty-five and forty-five.
MYou joke, but the Europa League is coming for them. The NIGHTMARE scenario.
LAnd then Haaland somehow has eight goals and zero assists. Eight and ZERO. The man is a black hole in the best way.
MThat's the craziest stat in football right now. He's not passing to anybody, and nobody's asking him to.
LWhy would you? He's putting the ball in the net eight times. You want him to give up goals for a pretty pass?
MFair point. Let him cook, as the kids say.
LAnd Declan Rice is backing Harry Kane for the Ballon d'Or. England captain to England captain.
MThat's just teammate loyalty. Kane's got the goals, but this year's race is wide open.
LWide open? You've got at least three guys who could walk away with it depending on what happens in spring.
MWhich is exactly why Rice is smart to back his captain now. Plant the flag early, see if the world follows.
MMoving on. Let's give the people one more thing to talk about: the World Series is set, Rays and Brewers, and I've got a bone to pick about the ratings.
LNot the ratings again.
MNo, hear me out. Two small-market teams, sure. But Tampa Bay has the most exciting young player in baseball, and Milwaukee hasn't been to a World Series in over forty years.
LAnd that should be box office! Small markets don't mean small drama.
MThat's my point! People keep saying nobody will watch. But that Rays lineup? The Brewers pitching? This series is going to be a WAR.
LGame one starter Nick Martinez, by the way — that's officially our preview for later. We'll dig into it shortly.
MI've got one more hot take for you before we wrap this segment. The NBA just posted LeBron's slick assist in Year Twenty-Four.
LA no-look in transition? At forty-one? That's what separates him from every other freak athlete of his era.
MThe vision doesn't age. The bounce. The IQ. That's why this Sixers team is scary.
LAnd why I'll be watching every game of Year Twenty-Four. This is historic.
MAlright, we're just getting started tonight. Later in this hour we'll have the full World Series preview and the Bears-Patriots breakdown.
LPlus your calls on whether Maye survives that Bears pass rush. Coming up next, though — don't move.

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