Philadelphia gets excited ahead of NBA season with LeBron James

[p]The home ‌of cinema's biggest underdog Rocky has waited 43 years for an NBA winner, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-lebron/nuIVxFJk/"]James[/a]' July ‌24 announcement that he was headed to the Sixers building hopes of ‌an end to their title drought.[/p][p]"[b]Everyone went crazy. Social media went crazy,[/b]" said Albert ‌Zheng, a lifelong Sixers fan who immediately commissioned artist Bill [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/strobel-stefan/nqyE7Q0o/"]Strobel[/a] to paint ‌a mural of James on the side of his restaurant, Javelin.[/p][p]The painting of the world's most popular athlete, dressed in a retro jersey from the days of 11-times All-Star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/iverson-allen/rZOeHmv9/"]Allen ‌Iverson[/a], has sent foot traffic soaring, said Zheng, ⁠with an additional half-million views on ‌the restaurant's Instagram page.[/p][p]"[b]People were like, 'Oh, it's too soon',[/b]" said Strobel. "[b]I'm like, it's never too ​soon[/b]."[/p][p]Strobel likened James' arrival to that of Julius "Dr. J" Erving, who transformed the Sixers franchise after joining in 1976 and delivered [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philadelphia-76ers/vwRW2QSh/"]Philadelphia[/a]'s ​last title seven years later.[/p][p]"[b]Doc was a myth. He wasn't even a real person - he was a superhero,[/b]" said Strobel. "[b]As far as how big this ⁠is for the Sixers fans, ​I think it's right up there.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="16a33b9a-362a-48eb-b5b0-d948207550c8" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2104600935796514970?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The price for the Sixers' October 22 home opener against James' hometown [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cleveland-cavaliers/xGk13Tb6/"]Cleveland Cavaliers[/a] was around $300 on ticket resale website TickPick, as businesses around the city were planning for a windfall.[/p][p]McGillin's Olde Ale House - the ‌city's oldest watering hole - unveiled its "Crown the King" cocktail the day that James announced his move to Philadelphia, as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro proclaimed July 24 "LeBron James Day."[/p][p]Manager Gaby Rubery said locals left work early and showed up in Sixers jerseys to celebrate. The bar is expecting a large crowd for Monday's first preseason game, with his Philly media debut this week building the buzz.[/p][p]"[b]The last star we had was AI (Iverson)[/b]," she said. "[b]It's been a long time.[/b]"[/p][p]In nearby Chinatown, artist Chenlin Cai said he hoped to build buzz for ‌his neighbourhood, where his mural of James and state founder William Penn made ​headlines on ESPN.[/p][p]The mural replicates James' iconic dunking photo from his days ‌playing with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/miami-heat/CQ7AXnT5/"]Miami Heat[/a] and blends "Asian, Chinese elements," said Cai, with a dramatic backdrop of cresting waves.[/p][p]"[b]My inspiration for this mural is my love to LeBron James[/b]," said Cai, who immigrated to the United States from China in 2014 and had followed the four-time MVP since his ⁠high school playing days.[/p][p]"[b]I wanted him ⁠to be the hero. To come ‌to Philadelphia to bring our city forward[/b]."[/p]