LeBron James made his Philadelphia 76ers debut on Tuesday night, and he did it in one of the most hostile environments possible, as the Sixers opened the season against the defending champion New York Knicks on ring night at Madison Square Garden. And it didn’t take long for the Knicks fans to get under his skin.
Late in the first half, James got into a heated exchange with a fan sitting courtside, making it clear that he didn’t appreciate being called soft. And James got the last laugh, as the Sixers went on to spoil the Knicks’ celebration with a 106-100 win.
LeBron vs. the Garden
James’ move to Philadelphia has drawn plenty of attention this offseason, in large part because of how he’s getting there.
The 41-year-old plans to commute between New York and Philadelphia by helicopter this season, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called it “perfectly appropriate” that the helicopter is being provided by Fanatics as part of James’ deal with the company.
While the NBA might have approved the deal, it still gave Knicks fans plenty of material during Tuesday night’s season-opener. NBC’s Mike Tirico said that he heard one fan yelling at James about the helicopter during the broadcast.
“Hey, LeBron, just because you have a helicopter and you live in New York doesn’t mean we’re gonna cheer for you!” Tirico relayed, via Awful Announcing.
‘I’m From Ohio, Baby’
Things got more heated before halftime, when James exchanged words with a courtside fan while Spike Lee tried to play peacemaker. And it sounds like the fan questioned James’ toughness, presumably suggesting that he was soft because he was from the West Coast.
“Ain’t nothing soft in the Midwest,” James said in a clip shared by SleeperHoops. “I’m not from the West Coast, I’m from Ohio, baby. I’m from Ohio baby, [expletive] is you talking about?”
Reggie Miller, who was calling the game for NBC alongside Tirico and Jamal Crawford, said that getting James fired up in that building was “the last thing you wanna do.”
“Boy, I have seen everything,” Miller added.
James, who grew up in Akron and spent 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, wasn’t exactly dominant in his debut. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds, and seven assists in 34 minutes.
But the Sixers held the Knicks to 37% shooting from the field, and James got the win. When NBC’s Zora Stephenson asked him after the game whether he enjoyed spoiling the Knicks’ ring night, James said that it was “pretty special.”
Clearly, Knicks fans aren’t going to welcome their new neighbor with open arms. And if the first game was any indication, James is more than happy to play the villain at the Garden.
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