LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers will open the 2026-27 NBA season against the New York Knicks on October 20, the league announced Tuesday.
The matchup at Madison Square Garden is one of three games scheduled for opening night. The season will open with the Boston Celtics visiting the Detroit Pistons, while the San Antonio Spurs visit the Oklahoma City Thunder. The league scheduled its opening night to feature its last three champions: the Knicks, Thunder, and Celtics. Oklahoma City, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, faces San Antonio, led by Victor Wembanyama, in a rematch of the last Western Conference Finals.
James and teammate Jaylen Brown will make their home debut at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on October 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland was the franchise where James began his NBA career in 2003, won a championship in 2016, and had hoped to re-sign him to finish his career.
NBA Christmas Day Schedule
The league also announced its Christmas Day slate, a holiday tradition running since 1947 that features more than 12 continuous hours of basketball from noon to midnight Eastern Time. Action begins at Madison Square Garden with a rematch of the last NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. That game will be followed by the Boston Celtics against the Miami Heat, who will feature Greek player Giannis Antetokounmpo starting at the beginning of the season.
LeBron James and the 76ers then visit Crypto Arena in Los Angeles to face the Lakers, where James played for the past eight seasons. The Christmas schedule continues in Minnesota with the Timberwolves hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder, before concluding with a matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
