Kentavious Caldwell-Pope discussed LeBron James’ individual handshakes with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates during an appearance on Dawg Talk, explaining how James remembers a different routine for every player.
“Bron got a handshake with everybody,” Caldwell-Pope said, singling out Dean Wade’s handshake as a “business suit and tie” routine and describing the one with Joel Embiid as unusual.
He added that he only had to remember his own handshake with James, leaving the explanation for how the 41-year-old keeps track of them to the 76ers star himself.
Caldwell-Pope also recalled being asked in an interview how James remembers all the different handshakes. His response was that the question needed to be directed to James.
The routines involve several members of a Philadelphia roster that has opened the 2026-27 season with a 5-1 record. James is averaging 16.4 points, 7.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds in five games, while Embiid has posted 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Tyrese Maxey leads the 76ers with 28.2 points per game, alongside 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Jaylen Brown is averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in five appearances.
Caldwell-Pope, who joined Philadelphia’s rotation, is averaging 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in six games. He has shot 40.9% from three-point range on 3.7 attempts per game, while also recording 1.3 steals per contest.
Wade, whose handshake James has apparently turned into a business-themed routine, is averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in four appearances. He has also recorded 2.0 steals per game.
