Cavs suffer historic choke job in LeBron's 76ers home debut

Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cavaliers suffer historic choke job in LeBron James' 76ers home debut

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 23, 2026 8:08 AM ET

LeBron James' first home game as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers did not get off to a great start.

But sometimes in sports, it's not about the start, but how you finish the game.

That was the case for the 76ers on Thursday night as they erased a 29-point deficit to storm back for a 114-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It not only gave the 76ers their second win in a row to open the season, and their first home win of the season, it was also an unheard-of comeback for James in his Hall of Famer career.

LeBron James has never been part of a bigger comeback

The 29-point comeback is the largest comeback that James has ever been part of as an NBA player, which adds another fascinating storyline (and stat line) to the night.

BRON'S HOME OPENER IN PHILLY WAS ONE OF THE WILDEST GAMES OF HIS CAREER pic.twitter.com/xLmtwdEPlB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 23, 2026

It was also the biggest 76ers comeback of the play-by-play era.

BROWN, MAXEY, EMBIID, LEBRON LEAD 29-POINT COMEBACK

In the 2nd half:

Brown: 17 PTS, 5 REB
Maxey: 17 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL
Embiid: 15 PTS
LeBron: 12 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST

LARGEST SIXERS COMEBACK OF THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ERA! pic.twitter.com/s0Vet48MsA
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2026

James is not only one of the game's legends; he has been an NBA player for 24 years. He has done a lot of things, been involved in a lot of games and helped erase a lot of deficits.

Anytime you can see a game involving him that includes something he's never been a part of, it's a noteworthy night.

It's also probably an unexpected night for a lot of 76ers fans who were booing their team — quite loudly — at the end of the first half. Just goes to show you can never really count on a team that has LeBron on it.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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