A new mural in Philadelphia’s Chinatown shows LeBron James slamming home a dunk while William Penn celebrates below. The work, titled “The Legendary Partner for the City of Brotherly Love,” was painted by Philadelphia-based artist Chenlin Cai at 938 Arch Street, a short distance from the Chinatown Friendship Arch.
Cai painted the mural freehand from Sunday to Tuesday after sketching the design in the Procreate app and receiving permission from the property owner. The Chinatown Friendship Arch, placed nearby, was dedicated in 1984 as “a tribute to the contributions of Philadelphia’s Chinese community.”
The image replaces a familiar on-court moment: a Dec. 6, 2010 play in which Dwyane Wade passed to James and celebrated before James finished the dunk, a photo that became widely shared. Cai substituted Penn for Wade, citing the declaration of “LeBron James Day” by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro the day James signed with the 76ers as part of his inspiration. “Dwyane Wade assist and his best partner. Now Philadelphia is his best partner,” Cai told ESPN.
Cai said he combined Asian cultural elements, Philadelphia imagery and 76ers references in the piece. “I [wanted] to make this mural really Asian, really LeBron James, really Philadelphia,” he told ESPN. He said the Chinatown location was deliberate and meant to connect the neighborhood with a broader audience and potential visitors.
The mural also references Chinese legend and LeBron’s nickname, with Cai citing the ancient “Dragon’s Gate” as a core visual inspiration. In the painting, the hoop resembles a crown and also reads as a glowing dragon ball, and James is depicted leaping from stylized waves. Cai, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 2014, earned a master’s from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and has painted murals across the city’s Asian communities.
