The defending champion Knicks will face the 76ers in their season opener, and LeBron James will make his Philadelphia debut.

August 12th - The NBA officially announced the opening game and schedule for the 2026-27 season. On October 20th , the defending champion New York Knicks will raise their championship banner at home and face the Philadelphia 76ers . LeBron James will also make his regular season debut for the 76ers .

Last season, the Knicks swept the 76ers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals . This summer, the 76ers upgraded their roster by acquiring LeBron James and Jaylen Brown , with James set to play alongside Joel Embiid in the new season.

The other two games on opening day are the Celtics visiting the Pistons, and the Thunder playing the Spurs. The latter is a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals, where the Spurs defeated the Thunder in a Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. On October 21 , Giannis Antetokounmpo will make his Miami Heat debut against the Timberwolves; the Warriors will visit the Lakers. On October 22 , the Cavaliers will play the 76ers , and the Nuggets will challenge the Thunder.

In the Christmas Day games, LeBron James will lead the 76ers against his former team, the Lakers. Other games include the Spurs vs. the Knicks, the Heat vs. the Celtics, the Thunder vs. the Timberwolves, and the Nuggets vs. the Warriors. The Knicks will be playing their 59th Christmas Day game in franchise history ; James will be playing his 21st .

Image source: Internet