PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Philadelphia 76ers will play their home opener Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and anticipation is building across the city as fans celebrate a roster that includes stars LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.<\/p>\n
The excitement was on display Wednesday during the team’s weeklong “Blue Week” celebration, which included city landmarks lighting up in honor of the new-look Sixers and fan giveaways leading up to the opener.<\/p>\n
One of those fans was Floyd Wedderburn of Germantown, who won free tickets to the home opener after locating a hidden prize pack in Old City using clues posted on social media. The prize pack included tickets, Sixers gear and T-shirts.<\/p>\n
“I cannot wait to wear this tomorrow; I am gonna scream loud,” Wedderburn said.<\/p>\n
The enthusiasm surrounding the team is also visible in public art projects around the city.<\/p>\n
A new mural of LeBron James has been painted in Fishtown at the intersection of Frankford and Girard. The mural is one of at least three LeBron-themed murals that have appeared across Philadelphia as excitement builds around the team. The mural was created by Upper Darby native Chuck Styles, who said the opportunity was meaningful both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n
“When I got the call, I was definitely super excited and got right to work,” Styles said.<\/p>\n
“For me to be commissioned by Nike to do this mural and be received by the city, it just made the mural and the artwork just feel that much more special, and I know the people feel it too,” he added.<\/p>\n
Fans are also willing to pay a premium to see the revamped roster in person.<\/p>\n
Jonas Lawson of Fishtown said he already has tickets to both the home opener and Sunday’s game.<\/p>\n
“They were expensive, but that’s expected; I mean, you have LeBron James in your city,” Lawson said.<\/p>\n
According to ticket resale platform TickPick, prices for the home opener are eight times higher than they were last year. The company also reported that after the team’s victory over the Knicks on Tuesday, 13% of sales for Thursday’s game occurred overnight.<\/p>\n
“Winning is the number 1 variable as far as demand for a team,” said Kyle Zorn, TickPick’s director of content.<\/p>\n
“When a team wins, everyone wants to be a part of that; the city gets excited, especially a sports city like Philadelphia,” Zorn said.<\/p>\n
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