LeBron James Makes 76ers Debut in Preseason Loss to Nets

LeBron James finally wore blue in a real game. The 41-year-old made his long-awaited debut for the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Barclays Center, coming off the bench of history into a starting lineup loaded with four other stars. In 18 first-half minutes — he did not play after halftime — James scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished five assists as the 76ers fell 114-108 to the Brooklyn Nets in their second preseason game. He took just one shot from the field all night, a reverse layup in the second quarter set up by Tyrese Maxey that put Philadelphia ahead 40-39, and made all eight of his free throws. The highlight reel belonged to his passing. James threw a no-look dime to VJ Edgecombe for an early layup and repeatedly found Maxey and Joel Embiid in transition as the new-look starters opened 7-for-8 from the floor. Edgecombe finished with 11 points, Maxey with 14, and Jaylen Brown led the Sixers with 18. Embiid added six points but committed eight turnovers. The famous chalk toss happened in front of a New York crowd for the first time in a PHILA No. 23 jersey — a sight that was unthinkable a few months ago. James signed a two-year, $7.95 million veteran-minimum deal in July to open his record 24th NBA season, joining Embiid and Brown on a roster built for one last championship push. His regular-season debut comes October 20 against the defending champion Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Next preseason stop: Boston on Saturday.