LeBron's Sixers Debut: 10 Points on One Shot and Five First-Quarter Assists; Dybantsa Gets Four Steals in a Win

Year 24, new uniform, same LeBron. He barely shot and still ran the show.

LeBron James played his first game for Philadelphia on Thursday night in Brooklyn and finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in 18 first-half minutes, per the AP. He was credited with just one field-goal attempt, made it, and went 8-of-8 from the line after getting fouled four times. The Inquirer says all five of his assists came in the first quarter. He hit VJ Edgecombe for a transition layup and a halfcourt dunk, and found Dean Wade, Tyrese Maxey and Jabari Walker. The Sixers made seven straight shots after an opening miss and shot 22-of-24 from the line in the first half.

It was the first time James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe were on the floor together. Philly led 58-56 at the half and lost 114-108. Maxey scored 14, while Embiid had six points, three rebounds, three assists and eight turnovers, plus a technical. Embiid also addressed Mike Breen's report, which Breen has since apologized for, that LeBron had called him out for being late: "Nothing happened... There's going to be a lot of outside noise to pull us apart." James, 41, signed a two-year minimum deal after eight seasons with the Lakers, and the AP notes this is his NBA-record 24th season.

At Madison Square Garden, No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa made his preseason debut as a starter for Washington and had 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting with four steals in 23 minutes, per NBC Sports. The Wizards beat the defending champion Knicks 111-109. Anthony Davis led them with 16 and Trae Young added 15, per the RealGM box score.

Wednesday's comebacks delivered too. Tyrese Haliburton returned 16 months after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals and had seven points and six assists in 16 minutes at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum. Indiana beat Minnesota 123-112. "It's been 472 days since I played a game of basketball," Haliburton told the crowd, per NBA.com. In Portland, Damian Lillard scored 15 in 19 minutes in his return, and Ja Morant had eight points and five assists in his Blazers debut in a 123-118 win over Golden State.

The regular season tips Oct. 20. Get more on the NBA page. Radio question: is LeBron the perfect facilitator for this Sixers group, or is it too many cooks?

Sources: NBA.com/AP — LeBron James shines in Sixers' preseason debut; The Philadelphia Inquirer — LeBron takes one shot in 10-point debut; NBC Sports — AJ Dybantsa records 11 points, four steals; RealGM — Wizards 111, Knicks 109 box score; NBA.com — Starting 5, Oct. 8.