Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Walking down Walnut Street on Thursday, it would be hard to miss the purple cable placer truck parked in the middle of the road outside the Xfinity store. It would be even harder to miss the hundreds of fans that swarmed the area, surrounding the truck with an adjustable basketball court attached to the crane. <\/p>\n
And in the middle of that crowd was Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey<\/a>. <\/p>\n With Franklin the Dog looking on, the 25-year-old dribbled the ball once and took a shot on the unique court before going inside the store to host a meet-and-greet at Xfinity\u2019s NBA Tip-Off fan celebration. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: There will be a new face on NBC Sports Philly for Sixers games this season<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe city is really excited for the Sixers,\u201d said Alex Nguyen, a 34-year-old New Jersey native. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen them this excited in a long time. So, I thought this was a cool event and they said Tyrese Maxey was going to show up so it would be a cool chance to try to meet him today.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s already been a lot of excitement surrounding the Sixers. The team had a successful offseason under new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey<\/a>, who traded for Jaylen Brown<\/a> and signed all-time great LeBron James<\/a> to a two-year, $8 million contract. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that this year is going to be really special,\u201d Paige Mullen, a 22-year-old Harrisburg native, said. \u201cAnd again, having the city\u2019s support and the energy behind it, I think that they can go a long way. I think [the Sixers being the savior of the city] might be the narrative this year. And I\u2019m not complaining, I\u2019ll take it.\u201d <\/p>\n Even Maxey has noticed a difference in fan reception this season compared to other years. <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think this season is going to be remarkable, honestly,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve done a good job at just trying to put a team together who can compete at the highest level. And I think the connectivity that we all have, everybody will be able to see it and the fans will really enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest acquisitions have made the Sixers a true title contender. The team features former league MVP Joel Embiid<\/a>, rising star VJ Edgecombe<\/a>, five-time NBA All-Star Brown, two-time NBA All-Star Maxey, and 22-time All-Star James. Many fans are thinking this year is championship or bust. <\/p>\n \u201cWe got LeBron for two years,\u201d said 18-year-old Drexel student Aiden Plummer. \u201cBut, I still think it\u2019s this year that we got to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey once \u2018borrowed belief\u2019 to buoy his career. Now he\u2019s a bona fide star in his biggest role yet.<\/a><\/p>\n James is the NBA\u2019s all-time leader in points and games played, a four-time MVP, a four-time champion, and a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA. But what version of James will be on display this season? <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to see a smart LeBron, an older LeBron, a wise LeBron,\u201d Dwayne Warren, a 42-year-old West Philly native, said. \u201cA LeBron that\u2019s going to take over whenever we need him.\u201d<\/p>\n Nguyen added: \u201cProbably more of a facilitator role. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s really going to need to score as much as he has in the past. I think he\u2019s going to be able to rely on the young guys like Maxey, Jaylen Brown, we\u2019ll see what we get with Embiid. But I think he could lead the league in assists this year.\u201d<\/p>\n The team\u2019s talent left some fans questioning who they would want with the ball in their hands with the game on the line. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t go wrong,\u201d said Vinnie Bean, a 30-year-old New Jersey native. \u201cYou really can\u2019t. It\u2019s just a flip of a coin, honestly. Give me J.B., give me Bron, Maxey. I can\u2019t even pick and that\u2019s such a good problem to have. I never would have thought we would have a team like this. It\u2019s a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sixers season starts on Tuesday as the team prepares to travel to Madison Square Garden to compete against the defending champions, the New York Knicks. Ahead of the game, the Knicks will raise their championship banner and receive their rings. Sixers fans are hoping to spoil the fun. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we will take this game,\u201d said 47-year-old Philly native Vermor Morino. \u201cGuaranteed, we will take this game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: \u2018A lot of memories\u2019 flood back for Sixers\u2019 Justin Edwards as Smedley Elementary honors him<\/a><\/p>\n More upcoming events <\/p>\n To continue the excitement for the Sixers\u2019 season, there are more events fans can attend ahead of the season opener. <\/p>\n Dunkin\u2019 pep rally<\/p>\n Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, the Dunkin\u2019, located on Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia<\/a>, will be turning into a team-themed pep rally, featuring appearances by Franklin, 76ers ENT, and the Dunkin\u2019 mascot. There will also be a themed drink, the \u201cSlam Dunkalatte,\u201d at participating locations in the Greater Philadelphia area. <\/p>\n Season tip-off fan fest at Stateside Live! <\/p>\n