)
“I want to say thank you for coming out, thanks for all your support. Let’s have a great year, and go Sixers!”
That’s how head coach Nick Nurse addressed the fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena after the Blue x White Scrimmage, presented by BODYARMOR.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Blue x White Scrimmage was held at Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time. The team’s annual preseason event was moved from Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware to accommodate more fans.
Tickets were $10, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Sixers Youth Foundation. The foundation gave out 5,000 tickets to grantees, allowing kids and their families, along with other community partners, to have a unique Sixers experience.
“It’s in a big place; it’s at Xfinity Mobile Arena,” Leslie Walker, executive director of the Sixers Youth Foundation, said during a press conference before the scrimmage. “A lot of our kids don’t get an opportunity to go to Xfinity Mobile Arena, so this gives them a chance, and they get to see our team.
“Any time we are able to have more funding come in, that means it’s going to go out. We don’t hold on to our money. It’s money in and money out; that’s just how it is. We want to make sure we’re getting to as many youth as we can.”
Last year, the Sixers Youth Foundation committed more than $2 million to the region, reaching 285,000 youth within the Sixers’ footprint.
The Blue x White Scrimmage was another opportunity for the Sixers Youth Foundation to raise money while giving kids and their families memorable experiences, and it also allowed the fans to have a direct impact on the community. In total, the event raised $86,850, with all of it going to the team’s foundation.
Even before the doors opened just after 11 a.m., the buzz was palpable, with fans tailgating in packed parking lots and enjoying an interactive Fan Zone outside of the arena. Ticketed guests were also permitted to enter the team store to get a look at the new merchandise for the 2026-27 season.
Fans decked out in team gear filled the lower and upper bowls for the scrimmage, something the organization hadn’t yet experienced for its annual event. However, the Philly faithful are known for supporting their teams at any event imaginable, and they made that clear to many of the team’s newcomers.
“I love it; it’s great to see everyone showed out just for a scrimmage,” Dean Wade said during an in-arena interview. “I’ve played in this arena on the opposing end, and it was not fun, so being on this side now, it’s awesome.”
“To be able to get out and play in front of our fans here today, it means everything,” Labaron Philon Jr. told the fans on the jumbotron during a timeout.
Along with new players getting to play in their home arena for the first time in Sixers colors, the Blue x White Scrimmage also marked the return of longtime public address announcer Matt Cord, who recently announced he was coming out of retirement for one more season behind the mic.
While the two teams had a mix of players throughout the afternoon from the training camp roster, the Blue team was announced to an electric ovation as the three highest scorers from last season’s team — VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — along with two notable offseason additions, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, were introduced.
The teams played three quarters, with each one starting tied at 80 to simulate a fourth-quarter scenario. From dunks and behind-the-back passes to alley-oops and blocks, this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill intrasquad scrimmage.
“The guys want to play,” Mike Gansey, president of basketball operations, said before the scrimmage. “Originally we didn’t know what we were going to do, obviously get up and play for the fans a little bit, but they were like, ‘Hey, I want to compete. I want to play today.’ They want to get better today, and it’s been like that every day.”
“We’re just trying to build,” LeBron James told reporters after the scrimmage. “Every day is an opportunity for us to get better and better. It’s just a one percent each day mentality for us. This was another extension of our training camp, and I feel like we were able to do some things we’ve been working on, both offensively and defensively. We’re just trying to get better, and I think today we did that.”
This was an opportunity for fans to watch the new-look roster for the first time, but also to see what the team has worked on in training camp and the chemistry the players have built leading up to the first preseason games.
Embiid, the longest-tenured Sixer, is always appreciative of the fan base, and he knows just how important the crowd and atmosphere will be to the team’s success on the court this season.
“Oh yeah, it was great,” Embiid said about the crowd. “Obviously, I love the fans. We want them and we need them to be a part of this. We’re going to need all we can, whether it’s from everybody in this building, fans or outside people, we are going to need to get together. We are going to need all the support possible. That’s only going to help us get better.”