What new Sixers fans need to know about LeBron James' next team
The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired LeBron James, creating a significant shift in the team's roster and fan expectations. The article provides a crash course for new fans on key players like Joel Embiid and the team's recent performance history.
Why it matters
Highlights the impact of high-profile player movement on NBA team dynamics and fan culture.
LeBron James and Joel Embiid are officially teammates.
Of the massive swarm of basketball fans whose rooting interests are tied to LeBron James – the people whose Sixers fandom just dates back to Friday – how many would recognize Dominick Barlow?
Longtime Sixers fans – or at least those around for 2025-26 – know about the intricacies of Barlow's game after watching him start at power forward in 59 of his 71 appearances last season.
This is just one example of the unusual dichotomy created by James' arrival: some Sixers fans have spent decades waiting to root for a generational player like this; others have only ever known this life.
What should new Sixers fans know about the supporting cast James is inheriting in Philadelphia? Consider this a Sixers crash course:
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