Philadelphia 76ers' coach speaks out about LeBron James' home debut
NBA superstar LeBron James will make his regular season home debut as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night.
At home in Philadelphia, James and the 76ers will face the Cleveland Cavaliers, James' hometown team which he played on for 11 seasons.
Ahead of the game, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told "Good Morning America" he expects the home court advantage in Philadelphia to be huge.
"[I'm] expecting a lot of energy, first of all from, you know, the city and the arena, the fans being there," Nurse said. "And I would imagine our guys are going to be excited to play in front of our home fans."
"Hopefully we'll come out with the same energy and focus that we showed in game one," Nurse added, referencing the 76ers' victory Tuesday night over the New York Knicks in their 2026 regular season debut.
In that game, which was played at Madison Square Garden, James scored 14 points in 34 minutes of play in the 76ers' 106-100 victory over the Knicks, the defending NBA champions.
Since joining the 76ers this season after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has "set the tone" for the team, according to Nurse.
"He's a true pro," he said of James, a four-time NBA champion and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
"He's first guy at the gym, a lot of times," Nurse added. "For a player that great to kind of set that tone just by example gives your building and locker room a lot of pop."
James announced in July that he would join the 76ers for his 24th NBA season, signing a two-year deal.
In addition to the Lakers and the Cavaliers, James also previously played for the Miami Heat.
Thursday night's 76ers and Cavaliers game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.
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