Everything LeBron James Said After 76ers Preseason Debut on New Teammates, Being Away from Family

LeBron James began his next chapter on Thursday.

The veteran made his preseason debut with the Philadelphia 76ers against the Brooklyn Nets, posting 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in a 114-108 loss.

James is no stranger to everything that comes with preparing for the season, but this year is a new challenge as he gets adjusted to a new team and a new city. At the end of the day, however, it felt natural when he stepped on the hardwood.

"It felt a little different, obviously, wearing the uniform," James told reporters. "But the game is the game, and the game is being played on the floor. And I was happy to log some minutes with the guys that we've been going at each other in practice for the last two weeks... It was great to finally just go out there and log some time and log some minutes."

James had an eventful offseason with plenty of travel followed by his intense free agency process. He's now tasked with getting back into the groove of things ahead of an 82-game season while balancing being with a new organization.

"Obviously, I have my routine, but when you go through an offseason, you've got to remember what your routine was again, no matter how many, how long you've been in it," James told reporters. "So, just thinking about, like, which buses do I remember taking, you know? What was my routine when I got over to the arena? How do I get ready for the game and things of that nature.

"So all that stuff plays a part. So I'm still getting into the whole everything, on the court and off the court, living and also being around these guys every day. It's a lot of adjustment for me, but, every day we'll get better and better."

Living in New York and playing in Philadelphia means James is away from his family often, but he said having great teammates has made the transition much easier.

"Every day it's getting better. Obviously, I'm gonna have some days where days will be better than others," he said. "But when I get to the facility and I'm around these guys, it definitely helps. We've got good energy, good spirit. Obviously the basketball game, what it brings to all of us is a sense of togetherness and fun. It's fun to go to work."

76ers-Nets Highlights

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James played limited minutes in his preseason debut, which wasn't much of a surprise. The 41-year-old has a long season ahead of him and will look to stay healthy and help his fellow stars Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey deliver a championship to Philadelphia.