LeBron James set for 76ers debut against Knicks on banner night

LeBron James is set to make his Philadelphia 76ers debut against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, October 20, opening his record 24th NBA season on the night the Knicks raise their championship banner. CBS Sports lists the 2026–27 opening-night game for 7 p.m. Eastern time. For Philadelphia, it will be the first regular-season test of a lineup assembled around James and other established stars.

Philadelphia’s new starting lineup

James is expected to wear No. 23 and start alongside another All-Star newcomer, Jaylen Brown, according to the Associated Press. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe complete the projected starting group. The 76ers put the lineup together over the summer as they pursue their first NBA championship since 1983. Tuesday’s game will show how those players begin to share possession and scoring opportunities in a competitive setting.

A debut during the Knicks’ title celebration

New York enters as the defending NBA champion and will raise its banner before tipoff, CBS Sports and the AP reported. That ceremony gives James’s first game for Philadelphia a prominent setting: the 76ers begin their season against the team that won last season’s title, in its home arena. The game is scheduled for later Tuesday; its score and James’s performance are still to come.

James arrives with four NBA championships across three teams and the league’s career scoring record, according to the AP. Knicks coach Mike Brown, who has known him professionally for years, described James’s durability and continued high-level play as remarkable. The opener will offer the first regular-season look at how the veteran fits beside Philadelphia’s other leading players.