LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers left Cleveland with a loss on Friday night, but the four-time champion still walked away appreciating the warm welcome he received from Cavs fans in his first visit with his new team.

Despite turning down a reunion with the Cavaliers in free agency this summer, James was greeted with his customary cheers when he was introduced at Rocket Arena.

After the game, he was asked whether the reception pleasantly surprised him.

“At the end of the day, nothing can get as worse as December 2nd, 2010 from a reception standpoint. So I’ve seen the near depths of hell when it comes to reception here all the way to the heavens above. So anything in between is easy money,” James said, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim.

LeBron James on whether he was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception after choosing not to return to Cleveland in Free agency:

“At the end of the day, nothing can get as worse as December 2nd, 2010 from a reception standpoint. So I've seen the near depths of hell when it… pic.twitter.com/OYYJMUpBmE

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) November 7, 2026

That date needs no introduction for Cleveland fans. It marked James’ first game back in Cleveland after leaving for the Miami Heat in free agency with “The Decision,” and the crowd let him have it with a barrage of boos and taunts. James responded with 38 points in just three quarters of a 118-90 Heat rout.

The relationship was eventually repaired. James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 and delivered the city’s long-awaited championship in 2016, leading Cleveland back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Since then, he has been showered with cheers on just about every trip back to Northeast Ohio, whether with the Los Angeles Lakers or now the Sixers.

This summer, James admitted that going back to Cleveland was “in consideration, for sure” before he ultimately chose Philadelphia on a two-year deal.

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The homecoming did not go as planned on the court. The Cavs rolled to a 119-95 win in an NBA Cup matchup, as James finished with just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting and six turnovers. The rough night snapped his streak of 396 consecutive regular-season games with double-digit scoring in Cleveland.

Joel Embiid also struggled, going 0-of-9 from the field. VJ Edgecombe led Philadelphia with 19 points, while Donovan Mitchell scored 23 and Evan Mobley added 22 for the Cavs.

The loss snapped the Sixers’ five-game winning streak and dropped them to 8-2. Philadelphia will look to get back on track against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.