LeBron Could Become Rocky Balboa, or End Up on the Canvas, Because He Didn't Come to an Ordinary City

There are places where sports are "just one of many pastimes." Take Moscow or Paris, for instance – sprawling metropolises with an abundance of entertainment options, where sports news rarely dominates headlines. In America, Miami might be a comparable example, though interestingly, not New York or Los Angeles, where local teams are deeply ingrained in the fabric of daily life.

In Detroit, Montreal, and Pittsburgh, ice hockey commands a fanatical following. Green Bay, Wisconsin, is almost exclusively dedicated to American football, with the Packers holding a near-religious status. Chicago and Boston embrace all sports, but baseball arguably holds a special place in the hearts of both cities. And then, at the very pinnacle, you have Philadelphia.

I'm not one for transcontinental comparisons, but if we had to find a European equivalent for the "City of Brotherly Love" in Pennsylvania, it would be Thessaloniki. Philadelphia's teams may not boast the trophy cabinets of franchises from New York, Boston, Los Angeles, or Chicago, but that has never deterred their passionate fans from living and dying with every season, eagerly awaiting titles for the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, or 76ers.

Much like in Thessaloniki, things can often boil over in "Philly" when a team underperforms. Frustration frequently spills onto the professionals who don the jerseys of these beloved teams. After all, no one enjoys supporting a losing side, regardless of their deep-seated loyalty. But conversely, just as in Thessaloniki, the other side of the coin holds true: when a championship is won, the celebrations can last for weeks. So intense, in fact, that the Governor of Pennsylvania often has to call in the National Guard to help rein in the fervent crowds who take to the streets, climbing traffic lights and celebrating wildly.

In recent times, the most successful team in the city has undoubtedly been the Eagles, who compete in the NFL. For a very long time, the "Birds" yearned to bring home a Super Bowl trophy, and when they finally achieved it in 2018, the city center was engulfed in triumphant chaos. Seven years later, the players may have changed, but the outcome was similar – the internet was once again flooded with images of ecstatic fans climbing city property, lighting flares, overturning sanitation trucks, and more.

A decade before the Eagles, the Phillies brought a championship to the city, representing Philadelphia in MLB. Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley shone brightly against the Tampa Bay Rays, their stellar performances ending a nearly four-decade drought. The Flyers in hockey, however, have been largely forgotten by time, with over half a century passing since their last major success. Hockey fans did have moments to cheer for, as stars like Eric Lindros, Peter Forsberg, and Jeremy Roenick played for the "Flyers" in the interim.

And so we arrive at the 76ers, whose history is as vibrant and tumultuous as that of the other teams. With the arrival of Jalen Brown and LeBron James in Philadelphia, a new chapter will be written in their storied textbook. What the ending will be, however, remains a matter of pure speculation.

Until we get that answer, we can delve into history and predictions. Let's start with history, specifically its more glorious chapters – the Sixers boast three NBA championship trophies in their cabinet, won in 1955, 1967, and 1983. We'll skip the first one, as they were then known as the Syracuse Nationals. They moved to Pennsylvania in 1963, filling the void left by the Warriors' departure to San Francisco. They were named after the year America declared its independence, with the added significance that the declaration itself was signed in Philadelphia. To this day, one of the city's main tourist attractions is the "Liberty Bell," a historical artifact closely tied to the era of the American Revolution.

The first of Philadelphia's two titles was delivered by two legends. One is well-known to you – the famous Wilt Chamberlain, acquired via trade from, interestingly enough, San Francisco. The other, less familiar to our basketball enthusiasts, is Hal Greer, an excellent guard who spent his entire fifteen-year career with Syracuse and Philadelphia, later becoming a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Chamberlain and Greer ended the eight-year reign of terror by the Boston Celtics and Bill Russell, which, you'll agree, was no small feat for that era.

After that trophy, the Sixers wandered in the wilderness until Julius Erving arrived from the rival ABA in 1976. This Long Island-born forward spent the first five years of his career playing for Virginia and New Jersey, where he won two championships. When the ABA folded and the NBA absorbed its remnants, Philadelphia shelled out three million dollars for his services and never regretted it.

Erving, whom a high school teammate once nicknamed "Dr. J," would define the next decade across the entire league. His acrobatic dunks drove fans wild, and his winning mentality attracted other players to join him in Philadelphia. A crucial piece of the puzzle was veteran center Moses Malone, acquired from the Houston Rockets – when reporters asked him in the spring of 1983 for his prediction for the upcoming playoffs, he laconically replied "fo', fo', fo'," meaning four wins per series needed for the championship title.

Although the media interpreted this as a sign of excessive confidence, the soaring Sixers proved on the court that Malone's claim was not far from the truth. They played thirteen games and lost only one, and when coach Billy Cunningham, a teammate of Greer and Chamberlain from "those" days, was asked what the difference was compared to previous seasons, his reply was very brief. "We had Moses," the man with the most coaching victories in club history to this day clearly emphasized.

Since that magical playoff run, there haven't been any more titles, but there's been no shortage of good players and excitement. The first of the younger generation to shine was Charles Barkley, the stocky power forward from Auburn University. Barkley, who by his own admission got into shape and became an NBA athlete thanks to his mentor Malone, excelled until his departure to Arizona after realizing the Sixers wouldn't be able to assemble a team good enough to contend for a trophy.

After Barkley, Allen Iverson entertained the fans. The legendary "Answer" quickly ignited arenas across the NBA thanks to his combination of scoring instinct and unusual athleticism for his size – what that man could do at barely 5'11" is hard to describe in words. Before leaving for Denver, Iverson managed to lead the Sixers to their last Finals appearance, which they smoothly lost to the Lakers, but not before "The Answer" scared them with a dominant performance in the first game that saved them from a sweep.

Iverson was eventually succeeded by Sam Hinkie's "Process." Hinkie, who became the Sixers' general manager in 2013, devised a strategy to dismantle the team, trading away any interesting players for draft picks. Those teams from the mid-last decade were quite dreadful to watch, but they brought in a wave of young talent like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and others.

Embiid, the American international of Cameroonian descent, is the biggest name to emerge from that struggle. When healthy, this center is arguably the best at his position in the NBA, alongside our Nikola Jokic. The problem is he's not often healthy, and that has certainly cost Philadelphia. When the "Processors" disbanded after two trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the club's management tried to achieve more through other means. James Harden was brought in, Tyrese Maxey developed, but the achievements remained modest.

The new head of operations, Mike Gensi, decided to put a stop to this. The former Cleveland general manager, a man with an unremarkable professional basketball career who was once Ohio's greatest talent behind a certain LeBron James, arrived as an administrative reinforcement in late spring and immediately rolled up his sleeves. His first move was a trade with Boston, acquiring Jalen Brown for Paul George and some draft picks. This shocking exchange significantly shook the entire league, which for now almost unanimously believes the Celtics were fleeced. I say "almost" because some influential journalists in Boston have a different opinion; now, whether they are deluding themselves or know something we don't, time will tell.

With all due respect to Brown, who is truly one of the most capable scorers in the league, the flattering title of "catch of the summer" still went to LeBron James. King James spent almost the entire summer choosing where to finish his career, and the choice ultimately fell on Philadelphia. It's almost certain that Gensi played a significant role here, considering they are old acquaintances – in fact, they were even on assignment together in Cleveland for a time. But more than that, I would say it's about LeBron's assessment that with Philadelphia, he has the best chance of success.

That reasoning is not at all out of place. James arrives at the Sixers as a seasoned veteran whose task will be to somewhat "reorganize" what he found. Brown, who earned some MVP votes last season, will certainly be among the primary scoring options. The backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe also brings points and the top-tier pace necessary for modern play. And of course, there's Embiid, who is now not expected to carry the season on his fragile shoulders – it will be enough for him to show up when and where needed. With such carefully managed minutes, perhaps he too will show his best basketball?

Now, even in such well-assembled teams, there's always a "but." Will Embiid be healthy enough? Will LeBron finally start playing like a man over forty? Will Maxey get upset when his protagonism is diminished? And is Brown really as difficult as the Boston media implies? Good questions, and I don't have an answer without offering you the old commentator's adage: "judge for yourselves."

To all this, we must also add the Philadelphia fan we mentioned at the beginning. I've said it several times already, but it bears repeating – patience is not a strong suit for anyone in Philadelphia. If a few losses pile up, and someone starts performing below objectively assessed capabilities (and you know how objective the average fan can be), feathers will fly around the city, and no one will be spared.

Yet, if – and that's a big IF – everything goes according to plan and the Sixers, with LeBron, reach where they last were a quarter-century ago, and then repeat what they did forty years ago, I fear the National Guard won't be enough. The army, indeed, will have to take to the streets, and James will, without exaggeration, be able to say that he achieved something that only a select few have managed – to bring the entire populace of Philadelphia into the streets and lead them to championship ecstasy. Before him, only Hal Greer, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Rocky Balboa did that. Is that not enough?