LeBron James’ New York-to-Philadelphia plan has a Wilt Chamberlain precedent

LeBron James may live in New York City and commute to Philadelphia while playing for the 76ers.

As it turns out, Wilt Chamberlain already showed him how.

As NBA Base noted in a post on X, Chamberlain reportedly lived in Manhattan and regularly traveled to Philadelphia for games and practices during his time with the Sixers. And apparently, the commute didn’t slow him down much.

Chamberlain was also said to have spent the night partying in New York without sleeping before scoring an NBA-record 100 points.

There is one historical distinction worth making. Chamberlain’s 100-point game came in March 1962, when he played for the Philadelphia Warriors. He didn’t join the 76ers until 1965.

Still, the larger point stands. Wilt lived in New York, played in Philadelphia and found a way to make the arrangement work. Sound familiar?

A source told Marc Stein of The Stein Line that the possibility of living in New York played a role in James’ decision to sign with the Sixers. Philadelphia gives him the opportunity to maintain residences in both cities while chasing a fifth championship.

James’ camp previously reached out to the Knicks, sources told Hoops Wire, but New York wasn’t interested. The defending champions preferred to stick with the group that had just won the title. So James found another way to get near New York.

There’s no indication he intends to follow Wilt’s reported pregame routine. Then again, Chamberlain scored 100 points after supposedly staying out all night, so perhaps nobody was in a position to question his preparation.

Wilt made the New York-to-Philadelphia commute work more than 60 years ago. Now LeBron may give it a try.