PHILADELPHIA — Labaron Philon Jr.’s first major rookie reality check reportedly arrived at a recent Sixers team dinner, where he watched LeBron James greet Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a fully developed custom handshake and immediately began wondering when his own would be ready.
Unfortunately, VJ Edgecombe was there to explain the progression system.
“We ain’t there yet,” Edgecombe told him, effectively confirming that Philon remains several friendship levels away from premium LeBron content.
According to teammates, Philon had been visibly impressed by the elaborate greeting and briefly appeared to believe custom handshakes were included with every NBA contract.
They are not.
Team sources say rookies must first complete several prerequisites, including surviving training camp, remembering every play call, earning LeBron’s phone number, and demonstrating the ability to approach him without accidentally saying “Mr. James.”
KCP, meanwhile, has accumulated years of LeBron experience and is believed to have unlocked multiple greeting packages, including the shoulder bump, synchronized slap sequence, and advanced handshake available only to trusted veterans.
Philon has reportedly begun preparing for his own by practicing several combinations with Edgecombe after workouts.
For now, however, his official LeBron interaction remains a simple head nod.
“He’ll get there,” one teammate said. “But you can’t just skip straight to the handshake. There are levels to this.”
