LeBron James Joining the Philadelphia 76ers is Having a Surprise Impact on NBA Fandom
Trending
When LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers on the heels of the Jaylen Brown trade, much of the reaction was predictable.
All the expected greatest hits were played. The Sixers became extra polarizing. More people are predicting them to win it all. Others believe they’ll be a failure of epic proportions. Many think LeBron’s arrival could stunt the development of VJ Edgecombe and, to a lesser extent, Tyrese Maxey. Some think the move is a precursor to a Joel Embiid trade.
Wade through the fallout long enough, though, and you will stumble into unexplored waters--such as those in which you realize the Sixers are flirting with becoming the most popular NBA team not just in Pennsylvania, but Virginia, too.
Yes, you are reading this correctly. The online betting Virginia transactions prove it. Outside of Pennsylvania and New York (which is just a massive market), Virginia is now home to as many predictions for the Sixers to win the 2027 NBA Finals as any other state in the country.
For anyone confused, you are not alone. And frankly, there are no definitive explanations for this sudden shift. But we have a couple of theories.
The Sixers are a Safer Team to Root for Than Virginia’s Alternatives
As is the case in other pro sports, Virginia fans usually gravitate toward franchises in the Metro D.C. and Maryland areas. The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Football Team are their most popular NFL clubs. The Washington Capitals are their NHL team of choice. The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles rule the day for Major League Baseball.
This proximity influence means that the Washington Wizards curry more favor among NBA fans in Virginia than any other team. Yet, because of their regional location, there has always been a subtle layer of interest paid to the Sixers. The same can even be said for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets), albeit on much tinier scales.
LeBron joining the Sixers has given more people reason to pay attention, if not allegiance, to Philly’s basketball squad. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the Wizards continue to be mired in something worse than mediocrity.
Washington has not made the playoffs since 2021, and it has failed to win a postseason series since 2017. What’s more, it has not reached the conference finals (or NBA Finals) since the 1978-79 campaign.
Granted, the Wizards are more intriguing now than they’ve been in years past. They have No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa entering his rookie season, two veteran stars in Trae Young and Anthony Davis, another up-and-comer in Alex Sarr and a host of other interesting players.
Then again, the current makeup of the Wizards’ roster also turns people off. Their direction and cohesion is hazy. After a few years of methodically rebuilding, they have seemingly tried to fast-track their position by investing in Young and AD, two stars who haven’t operated at the peak of their powers in at least three years.
Even if Washington is objectively more talented than it’s been in roughly a decade, it’s far from a sure thing. Exhausted fans might find more purpose following a Sixers squad that, on paper, looks like more of a ready-made contender following the addition of LeBron and Brown.
A Renewed Interest in Allen Iverson Could Be at Play, Too
Despite not playing in the NBA since 2010, Allen Iverson’s legacy could be shifting more Virginia-based attention to the Sixers.
The one-time MVP is a Hampton, Virginia native. He has a long, complicated, illustrious history with the state. But his accomplishments were always lionized in The Cavalier State. They are even easier to get nostalgic for now that he’s nearly two decades removed from his playing career.
Iverson, of course, is associated with the Sixers more than any of his other stops. Philadelphia is where he won his league MVP. It is where he reached the Finals. It is where he, by and large, built his reputation as the greatest player pound-for-pound in league history. (That last point is debatable, but Iverson’s exploits are the genesis of the pound-for-pound discussions.)
Although the Sixers never really left the national conscience, they have not been this polarizing on a macro scale since, you guessed it, the halcyon days of Iverson. So many thought he would be the star to end the franchise’s championship drought. The team Philly has in place now is, on paper, flirting with grabbing that torch from him.
To that end, even if Iverson’s roots aren’t converting Virginia basketball fans to Sixers fans, it might be nudging their interest in that general direction. Whether this means Philly has a chance to usurp Washington as Virginia’s preferred franchise is debatable. To be honest, it probably doesn’t. This Sixers core may not have a ton of staying power beyond Maxey and Edgecombe.
For whatever reason, though, Virginia’s NBA interests are shifting. It is definitely because of the raw appeal incumbent of LeBron. But it may also have to do with the best basketball player ever to be born in the state, too.