LeBron James and Joel Embiid show early chemistry in 76ers scrimmage

The Blue and White Scrimmage

Philadelphia hosted its annual Blue and White game in front of about 10,000 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The team moved the exhibition from Delaware to fit the massive crowd. Fans waited in long lines to see LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the squad.

The scrimmage gave fans a quick look at the new look roster. LeBron James called the event a great first step in the direction they are trying to go.

Longtime announcer Matt Cord returned from retirement to announce the Blue team starters. The lineup featured Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid.

Early Chemistry and Embiid's Fitness

The 76ers did not keep an official box score, but players showed great chemistry. James found Embiid for a three pointer, while Maxey and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both threw alley oop passes for James to dunk.

Embiid also blocked a shot from rookie VJ Edgecombe and had a dunk of his own. Embiid, who looked slimmed down, joked that it might be the last dunk of his career.

James noticed a big difference in Embiid compared to when they played together at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He said Embiid is much healthier now and has not missed a practice.

Preparing for the Preseason

The scrimmage was limited to three 10 minute quarters. To practice late game situations, coach Nick Nurse started each quarter with the score tied at 80-80.

Nurse thanked the crowd after the game. The team gets Sunday off before starting their four game preseason schedule. James said the preseason will be a good chance to build rhythm without overdoing it.