LeBron James made his Philadelphia 76ers debut Tuesday night in a 106-100 season-opening win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. James played 34 minutes and produced 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting, nine rebounds, seven assists and one turnover. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Sixers' defense held the Knicks to 37 percent from the floor and 33 percent from 3-point range. James contributed to that defensive effort despite a slow scoring start. Head coach Nick Nurse had indicated before the season that James would help initiate the offense, a role the 24-year veteran executed in his first game, including an entry pass to Jaylen Brown for an easy bucket.
The game marked the on-court reality of the offseason's dominant storyline. James, 41, joined a Sixers franchise that had not advanced past the second round in 25 years. The team's marketing campaign has already accelerated, with James featured on the cover of Slam Magazine with the tagline "allow me to reintroduce myself," referencing a Jay-Z track from 2003, the year James was drafted.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed a separate matter Tuesday regarding James's helicopter transportation. Michael Rubin, CEO and founder of Fanatics and a former Sixers minority owner, had sparked discussion about the arrangement. Silver said he saw no rules issue with the setup.
"In the case of LeBron and that helicopter, he has a deal with Fanatics. It's perfectly appropriate if part of his deal is they're gonna supply a helicopter to him," Silver said. "As long as it's just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved, there's no rules issue there whatsoever."
The Knicks crowd produced mixed reactions when James was announced as a Sixers starter at his longtime favorite arena, where he had discussed wanting to play.