October 03, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
LeBron James called his transition "very smooth" through five days with the Sixers.
PHILADELPHIA – As they embark on a journey together that neither one of them could have seen coming, LeBron James and Joel Embiid have the same goals and the same intentions, and perspectives that differ just a bit when it comes to one key word:
"[E]verybody's role will probably be different, and that's for the greater good. If we want to accomplish something that's really, really important – like, if we saw that we want to do something special – there will be a collective sacrificing in a good way," James said. "Sometimes in sports, people hear sacrifice and automatically people start talking [negatively] about it. It's not a negative thing. You can sacrifice one or two more shots, that gives you one or two more bursts of energy in the fourth quarter to slide over and take a charge, or give you one or two more bursts of energy to get an offensive rebound for an extra possession to kick out for a teammate, or an extra two bursts of energy to run back on defense and get a chase-down block. Some things that don't show up in the box score. So it's not a negative when people say, 'Okay, you have to make a sacrifice,' or 'Your role may change.' If we're trying to do something special, which I believe we are, then that's just a positive."
Embiid does not see it exactly the same way.
"Everybody keeps talking about sacrificing, but I don’t really see it as sacrificing," Embiid said after the Sixers held their annual Blue x White Scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. "Just being the best version of yourself... It’s just about being a star in your role and doing what you do best. I don’t think anybody should be put in a box. Just go out there, be yourself. Good shot, great shot, bad shot, we’ve all got each other’s backs. We move on. And then we go get a stop.”
While they have not responded similarly to the key word – sacrifice – James and Embiid have the same idea in mind: no member of these Sixers, specifically the ones comprising the star-studded starting lineup which dominated on Saturday in front of a near-capacity crowd, will handle an offensive workload as significant as they are capable of shouldering.
Embiid argued that for each and every member of that group – himself, James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe – life as a high-octane scorer should be easier than ever.
"I think when you put great players together... obviously you might get less touches, but you might get also more space," Embiid said. "So what are you going to do with that space? Whether it’s for [Maxey], for me, for everybody, starting lineup, guys coming off the bench, different roles. Roles don’t even matter; it’s just about making the right play for each other over and over and over and try to find a way to be – I think for me – more efficient than I’ve ever been. I think this is an opportunity for [Maxey], everyone, every one of us, to be more efficient than we’ve ever been in our lives."
MORE: Sixers to move Embiid 'around the floor,' rookie Labaron Philon Jr. standing out
While the enormous potential that comes with the Sixers' collection of talent is tantalizing, the process of optimizing it is a challenge. And even as they have projected confidence, all parties involved have acknowledged that this transition will take time.
"[Sixers head coach Nick Nurse] has done a really good job, because we have so many different faces and guys come together that I think just playing, getting the kinks out, guys learning each other," Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey said on Saturday. "I think that's the best way to gel and build chemistry. And it's been fun. I mean, everyone's kind of had their moments in practice and scrimmages, so it's been fun seeing everyone."
Even before his flurry of wing triples and alley-oops in front of fans on Saturday, James was having those moments behind closed doors. In describing the intensity of the team's training camp during the week, Gansey mentioned that the 41-year-old has been diving on the floor for loose balls.
"I’m still just making my rounds and getting better and better each day," James said on Saturday. "As far as in the building, it's been very smooth, in the simple fact that everybody's been super welcoming. I've been able to implement some things in my voice, and as far as my command in how I play the game, and my experience of playing the game. I'm still getting more and more comfortable off the floor, as far as with the travel and without my family and things of that nature, so that's going to be a little bit of a challenge. But, everything's been good so far. It's been a great first week."
James does not have an enormous number of familiar faces here. He has played with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of the players vying for a back-end rotation spot. The Sixers brought in decorated assistant coach Phil Handy in part because of his relationship with James. But this is his first time playing for Nurse and with the other players on the roster.
MORE: Brown leaning on Maxey; James' role coming into focus
"It's been great early on. It's not only Nick, but the whole coaching staff," James said. "I'm just trying to fast-track everything offensively and defensively: the commands, the calls, the reads and everything they've had in place over the few years. I'm stepping into a new system and I'm stepping into a whole new environment, so like I said with the first question, they've welcomed me with open arms and have kind of made it more and more comfortable every day."
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of James' acclimation is how he will fit alongside Embiid. They are two of the NBA's singular talents; neither has shared the floor with a teammate like the other in their NBA careers. James and Embiid both started for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics, and they each indicated on Saturday that the experience has been helpful as they now get used to teaming again.
"Basically kind of picked up from 2024 during Olympics. We had some chemistry. We played a lot of minutes," James said. "He started a lot of games for us that summer, but the difference between ‘24 and now, he's just so much healthier. He hasn't missed a practice. He’s been in damn near everything that we've done. Pretty much – they’ve had to sit him out at times, even when he wanted to keep going. So, obviously you see even [how much he played today]. So, it's been good. Actually, great."
Embiid downplayed the challenge of it all.
"Obviously, the Olympics was great. But whether we have played together or not, I don’t think it was going to matter," Embiid said, "because at the end of the day, when you put – whether it’s two players, a bunch of players together that have a high basketball IQ – it’s going to be easy to fit with that. And that’s been the case. High basketball IQ, both want to pass, make the right play. So I think it just helps the whole thing."
MORE: Takeaways from Blue x White Scrimmage
