October 22, 2026
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
LeBron James' home debut for the Sixers was a stunner in South Philly as the team rallied back from down 24 at the half to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. Artist Osman Karriem built a LeBron James statuette out aluminum foil and brought it to Stateside Live! Many fans who couldn't get pricy tickets to the game decided to watch at the renovated venue in the Sports Complex.
After months of anticipation for LeBron James' home debut with the Sixers, it just wouldn't have been a complete Philly sports experience without the team digging itself a massive hole in the first half only to mount a thrilling comeback victory, 114-106, over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Getting seats to see the spectacle up close at Xfinity Mobile Arena was no bargain. Hours before tipoff, tickets were selling for close to $200 minimum on StubHub and other secondary markets. Lower level seats cost more than $500.
But for a few hundred Sixers fans hopeful that James can be the missing link in a championship-starved city, watching at Stateside Live! was more than enough to get a dose of excitement for the season ahead.
"I was trying to go to the game today, but like, I don't know. ... Ticket prices, when I was looking it was like $300, then it went down to $180," said Anthony Wayne, who came to the Sports Complex from Norristown. "I was tracking it, but I wasn't too dedicated. I'll be there soon, but not tonight."
Wayne and his friend, Malik, said they'd bite at some point when they see seats for under $200 again. Only six of the team's 41 home games this year had seats that went on sale on Ticketmaster for under $100 when they became available in September. The LeBron effect has been in full force.
"We knew that was going to happen when LeBron came to the city," said Will Fraticelli, who watched anxiously with his girlfriend in the first half but had "no doubt" about the team's eventual comeback.
Sixers fans turned out in full force at Stateside Live! for LeBron James' home debut in Philadelphia. A dismal first half turned jubilant as the team came back for a 114-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, the 41-year-old superstar and Ohio native who's been a phenom since his teenage years at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, wasted little time making his presence felt for the home crowd against his former squad. He got the Sixers on the scoreboard first with a 3-pointer, drawing a roar from the fans watching on the massive, 58-by-14-foot big screen at Stateside Live!
But the Sixers — apart from Tyrese Maxey — came out flat and fell down by 24 at halftime. They stormed back in the second half, took a lead by the middle of the fourth quarter and battled to hold back the Cavs. Maxey's 32-point performance showcased anothet step in his ascendence alongside James, who put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. Joel Embiid, who had a shaky start, came alive in the second half on the way to 24 points and a stout defensive showing. Jaylen Brown chipped in 21 points and eight rebounds.
A number of people who went to the game came to Stateside Live! first to pregame.
A group of fans from Delaware County sprung for tickets to Thursday's game after tracking prices on the secondary market for weeks. They stopped by Stateside Live! for drinks before the game.
Sixers fan and artist Osman Karriem, who lives in King of Prussia, was so amped for Thursday's game that he spent about a month building a layered aluminum foil statuette of James. Years ago, he built one of Allen Iverson that he later sold for about $1,000.
"I just wanted to show LeBron some love," Karriem said. "He's one of one. I'm just excited for the city. We need it. When he came over to Philly, I said, 'Oh, my God.' The Sixers needed that surge in positivity."
Artist Osman Karriem, who built a statuette of LeBron James, said he may spring for expensive playoff tickets next spring if his unique artwork nets him a hefty sum.
South Jersey resident Frank Wisniewski just got partial season tickets after being on a wait list, and the arrivals of James and Brown couldn't have come at a better time for him to get a package. Thursday was Wisniewski's first night checking out Stateside Live! since Comcast Spectacor's major renovation of the space. It now has several new bars and a large outdoor plaza with a concert stage and big screens to watch games. As plans take shape for a new arena and other investments in the Sports Complex, Wisniewski said he thinks the environment is only getting better.
"It's a great place for everybody to hang out and socialize," he said. "Even if they can't afford the tickets, they're getting the atmosphere."
LeBron James jerseys were all over the place at the Sports Complex and at Stateside Live! for the superstar's home debut with the Sixers.
Lisa Robinson, a Germantown resident and lifelong Sixers fan, said she grew up watching Julius Erving and hasn't seen this much energy behind the team since Iverson led them to the NBA Finals in 2001.
"Now I'm a really big LeBron fan," Robinson said. "But they've still got more improvements to make."
Stateside Live! marketing manager Peyton Mancini said the venue expects to see big crowds this season. Game day drink specials, which run from tipoff until an hour after the game, include $3 Coors Lites and $7 Surfside drinks.
"Whether fans have tickets to the game or not, we want them to feel like they're part of the excitement happening right here in the Sports Complex," Mancini said.
The crowd at Stateside Live! went wild when LeBron James did his ritual hand powdering before tipoff of Thursday night's Cavaliers game.
Wayne, who goes to Stateside Live! fairly often, said the venue is vastly improved since the renovations.
"It was needed. It got to a point where everybody was jam-packed in the same bar inside," he said. "Now it's spread out."
Nicholas Kemp, from Ardmore, got surprise tickets to Thursday's game as a gift from his girlfriend. He said he fully believes in this year's Sixers with James here to lift up the rest of the group.
"I love Tyrese — and Embiid, I've been defending him to all my friends for years," Kemp said. "I'm just so happy to see him healthy and see him happy. Now this team that we have, we have a real chance of getting him a title that he deserves so much."
