LeBron James Talks Reception From Cavs Fans in Video, Says He's Seen 'The Depths of Hell'

In the aftermath of the Philadelphia 76ers' 119-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, LeBron James addressed the warm reception he received from the fans at Rocket Arena.

Asked if he was surprised by the cheers that greeted him during pregame introductions, James told reporters he has experienced "the depths of hell" to "the heavens above" from Cavs fans in his career (starts at 1:20 mark).

James was greeted with a series of applause from Cleveland fans when his name was announced prior to tipoff.

It didn't seem likely that James would receive any boos, but after he opted to sign with the 76ers over the summer from a group of finalists that included Cleveland, perhaps there was a chance he could hear some jeers.

The "depths of hell" James referenced is from his initial return to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat on Dec. 2, 2010.

Rob Brown, a security guard for the Heat, told ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst in 2018 at one point during James' return game a member of NBA security wanted to end the game early because objects were constantly being thrown by fans.

"I remember a member of the NBA's security team wanted to call the game because there was so much coming at us during the game and we were basically ducking behind the scorer's table just to not get hit," Brown said.

Any of that bad blood from Cavs fans toward James evaporated forever when he returned to the team as a free agent in 2014, then led them to an NBA championship during the 2015-16 season.

Even after James left Cleveland to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, Cavs fans gave him a huge ovation in his first game back during the 2018-19 season.

Cavs fans had plenty to cheer about after the pregame introductions on Friday. They held Philadelphia to 95 points in arguably their best all-around performance thus far.

James finished with a season-low eight points and had twice as many turnovers (six) as assists (three).