James Harden booed in return to Philadelphia with Cavaliers
James Harden got a very Philly welcome in his first game of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Philadelphia 76ers fans booed loudly at tipoff on Thursday, Oct. 22 when the 11-time All-Star started the game with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His teammate, Jarrett Allen, tipped the ball back to Harden and Harden dribbled the ball forward for the first possession of the game as the jeers rained down from the rafters at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
— ART OF THE LEAGU3 (@highlightsofart) October 22, 2026
He was booed again when he took his place at the free throw line at the 9:19 mark after he was fouled by VJ Edgecombe. Harden missed the first free throw, but made the second to make the score 7-5 for the Cavaliers.
At the end of the first quarter, Cleveland was up 35-18.
Harden played for the 76ers for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. He had a public feud with former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey after the front office shut down his request to be traded.
Harden joined the Cavaliers last year after a stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. This offseason, he signed a three-year, $97 million extension to stay in Cleveland.
This is the 76ers' second game of the season. They beat the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 20. It was LeBron James' debut with Philadelphia.
Thursday's game was another chapter in James' career against his hometown team, which he was drafted by and won the 2016 NBA Finals with.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Harden booed in return to Philadelphia with Cavaliers
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