LeBron James said it will “take some time” for his new teammates to gel after their debut loss for the Philadelphia 76ers in a pre-season game.
The 41-year-old American joined the 76ers in July for what he says will be his final contract in the NBA following a stellar career.
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James is the leading scorer in league history and enters the NBA season for a record-extending 24th.
James scored 10 points and added four rebounds, five assists and a steal in 18 first-half minutes as his side fell to a 114-108 defeat by the Brooklyn Nets.
“We’re still trying to put each other in a position to complement each other as well as we can on the ground. But it’s going to happen at some point,” James said.
“Tonight we had a good sample size built.”
James played alongside new teammates Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, leading the scoring with 18 points.
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James won titles with every NBA team he played for, two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and another with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He left high school this summer after spending eight years with Liberty.
James was named the NBA’s most valuable player four times, all between 2009 and 2013, and was an NBA All-Star the last 22 seasons.
He aims to help the 76ers win their first NBA title in 43 years.