LeBron James Faces Ex-Lakers Teammates on Christmas as NBA Announces Blockbuster Schedule for Opening Night

Adam Silver finally has his Christmas Day centerpiece. LeBron James returns to LA, where he will face the Los Angeles Lakers. The King will face familiar faces on basketball’s biggest holiday stage. After waiting for LeBron’s decision, the NBA can finally unveil its Christmas spectacle, which will see the King play on the special day for the 21st time in his career.

LeBron James returns to LA for Christmas

ESPN’s Shams Charania shared the Christmas Day schedule via his X handle. While the most exciting day of the year features some great matchups, high chances are that the Philadelphia 76ers will steal the spotlight. That is because LeBron James will be in action on one of the most anticipated days in the NBA calendar, but for the first time in 8 years, not as Laker.

On Christmas Day, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are going to be his rivals. Most importantly, his son Bronny James will also be one of his opponents on the evening. Across eight seasons, LeBron James averaged 25.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.7 rebounds for the Lakers.

Another exciting matchup is set to take place at Madison Square Garden, which will witness the repeat telecast of the 2026 NBA Finals. That is because the New York Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs. Simply put, we are about to witness another Jalen Brunson vs Victor Wembanyama rematch.

Following that, the fresh Miami Heat squad with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo will head to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics. On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Thunder will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Then Stephen Curry and Co. will host the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center.

Timings:

Spurs-Knicks at 12 PM ET Heat-Celtics at 2:30 PM ET 76ers-Lakers at 5 PM ET Thunder-Timberwolves at 8 PM ET Nuggets-Warriors at 10:30 PM ET

Telecast: ABC and ESPN

Unfortunately, the Charlotte Hornets continue to be the only team to never feature in a single Christmas Day game. Now, the holiday matchups aren’t the only center of attraction. What’s more interesting is that LeBron James will light up the stage on the opening night as well.

Philly opens the 2026-27 season vs. the Knicks

The 2026-27 season gets underway on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with NBC and Peacock carrying a three-game showcase. The Boston Celtics meet the Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks will welcome the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET. And the OKC Thunder will face the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET.

On opening night, the Knicks will raise their 2025-26 championship banner before hosting LeBron James and Philadelphia. It will be an interesting matchup between the reigning champions and a revamped squad. The Sixers also added Jaylen Brown, creating a formidable five with James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecombe.

Meanwhile, the Knicks will play with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns as their starting five.

It’s safe to say that after the NBA announced the season’s schedule, many have started the countdown. A new season means new set of possibilities, and a whole lot of “wow” and “what just happened?” moments on the court.

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