Can LeBron James Chase Away Philadelphia’s Demons?

The Atlantic · Devin Gordon · 2026-11-06 14:58 UTC

First, the boos

When LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers as his new team this summer, he might have imagined a lengthy honeymoon phase befitting the arrival of a king, but his new fans didn’t even wait until halftime of the Sixers’ home opener, on October 22, to give him a dose of Philly reality. The boos began at the 3:23 mark of the second quarter, after an alley-oop dunk by the Cleveland Cavaliers put the Sixers down an unacceptable 27. The boos returned when they fell behind by 29 with just over a minute remaining, and again as the buzzer sounded for halftime. The crowd even booed the halftime act, a drone-and-LED artist named Rally Tron who, to be fair, was pretty lame.

Philly fans are famous for their booing, and this was a particularly dark stretch for the city and its pro-sports teams. The Phillies had flamed out in the playoffs yet again. The Eagles’ Super Bowl–winning quarterback Jalen Hurts had just been ruled out for the season—blood clots in both lungs. The Flyers had opened their season in this same building three weeks earlier with a humiliating 7–0 loss. This winter in Philly, it’s Sixers or bust.

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