LEBRON James will make his Philadelphia 76ers debut against the NBA champion New York Knicks on opening night before returning to Los Angeles to face his former team, the Lakers, on Christmas.
According to the Associated Press, the NBA unveiled Tuesday (Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, PH time) a “sneak peek” of its 2026-27 schedule, with James and the 76ers prominently featured on two of the league’s biggest dates. The full schedule will be released Thursday (Friday, PH time).
James will open his 76ers career on Oct. 20 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, where New York will raise a banner celebrating its first championship since 1973.
The game will headline a tripleheader that also includes the San Antonio Spurs visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.
All three opening-night games will be televised by NBC, marking a return to a three-game format after the league traditionally featured two games in recent years.
James will then return to Los Angeles on Christmas, when the 76ers visit the Lakers in the third game of a five-game holiday schedule to be carried by ESPN.
The Christmas lineup begins with San Antonio at New York, followed by Miami at Boston, Philadelphia at Los Angeles, Oklahoma City at Minnesota and Denver at Golden State.
James’ arrival in Philadelphia was always expected to give the 76ers a prominent place on the NBA schedule, creating a challenge for the league as it waited for the 41-year-old superstar to decide where he would play this season.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last month that he wanted James to announce his decision because teams and television networks were asking when the schedule could be completed.
James announced about a week later that he would join Philadelphia, which had already acquired All-Star Jaylen Brown from Boston and is expected to be among the Knicks’ top challengers.
James will play his first home game for the 76ers on Oct. 22 against Cleveland, one of his former teams that had hoped to bring him back for a third stint. The game will be part of an ESPN doubleheader that also features Denver visiting Oklahoma City.
Most teams will open their seasons on Oct. 21, highlighted by Minnesota visiting Miami. The Heat acquired two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee and also tried to lure James, while the Timberwolves traded for flashy point guard LaMelo Ball.
Golden State will visit the Lakers later that night in the second game of the ESPN doubleheader.
San Antonio has also emerged as one of the league’s biggest draws behind Victor Wembanyama, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year who helped the Spurs beat Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to end the Thunder’s title reign.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will return to Madison Square Garden on Christmas for a rematch with the Knicks.
It will be James’ second Christmas appearance at Madison Square Garden. He scored 42 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in 2024 but the Lakers lost.
The Christmas matchup will also mark James’ first game back in New York since the Knicks rallied from a 29-point deficit to beat the Spurs, 107-106, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. New York won the championship in San Antonio in the following game.
San Antonio will also face Houston and former Longhorns star Kevin Durant on Oct. 23 in a game at the University of Texas that will be streamed on Prime Video. The game will follow the Knicks’ visit to Boston in a doubleheader. / LBG
