Labaron Philon Jr. had grown up watching LeBron James dominate the league. The Philadelphia 76ers rookie did not need a preseason game to realize how quickly his NBA life had changed. One play from the four-time champion in training camp was enough.
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LeBron signed with Philadelphia in July 2026, and Philon’s phone lit up. “Watching him growing up and then you know my first year in the NBA… being able to play on the same floor as him, you know, with the same jersey on, that’s a really shocking thing.” The shock did not last long once the two shared the floor.
“I would say the first play of training camp, LeBron was coming at me full speed,” Labaron Philon Jr. told the media. “I was backpedaling, and I was like, that’s when the moment really hit ‘All right, like it’s here now.’ But I would say just being able to stand my ground, like knowing that I can compete against these guys at a high level.”
Then he was asked about his mindset and was ready to stop LeBron James. “I tried to go for the strip!” Philon explained. “He passed the ball. Trying to get it out of his hands, definitely, because he was running at me. I was like, ‘Alright.'”
There was more to that sequence than the thrill of facing LeBron James. Philon is trying to establish himself as a capable defender. So the best test is happening every day inside his own gym. And the 76ers rookie was prepared to learn from the 22x All-Star. During a summer appearance at a community camp, he said, “Who wouldn’t want to be around that (on learning from LeBron James)?”
There is more to sharing the locker room with Bron. Philon had already begun picking LeBron James’ brain. The conversation was about the importance of taking care of the body.
“Like about LeBron’s longevity. He been playing the game ever since I was born. So, just trying to see how he take care of his body. Get in the training room. I try to get in the training room as much as I can early in the morning and after practice trying to get extra work. So, really just trying to find my routine.”
Philon now has a front-row seat to LeBron James’ routine, who has spent more than two decades thriving in the NBA. For a rookie, learning those habits can go a long way in establishing his own career. Lonzo Ball knows something about that experience, too.
The former Los Angeles Lakers guard played alongside LeBron during his second NBA season. Their partnership lasted one year before Los Angeles traded Ball as part of the package that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Yet the experience matters.
“I’ve never seen an individual do that type sh– on a basketball court,” Zo previously said. “Basically, Bron just dominated the whole practice once he turned it on. Going through the middle, windmilling, half-court, going baseline, tomahawk, half-court threes. We was playing the 21. He had 21, and we had 7. That was the first time that I was like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy. I had no business being in front of him right now.’”
Philon’s introduction has been less about watching LeBron James put on a show and more about figuring out how to survive against him. This adds another layer for the rookie trying to earn his place. The 20-year-old, who watched the four-time NBA champion while growing up, is now guarding him in practice.
For Labaron Philon Jr, that is the unusual part of his first NBA season. The dream did not simply become real when he made the league. It became real when LeBron James came at him full speed, and he had to hold his ground. The 76ers superstar may have delivered the introduction, but Philon knows the rest of his NBA education is only beginning.