Two things are finally happening. A) Adam Silver has his wish. After months of desperately waiting for LeBron James’ decision, the NBA has finally unveiled its schedule for the upcoming season. B) James will play on Christmas Day for the 21st time in his career. Note: He’s going to face some very familiar faces.

ESPN’s Shams Charania shared the Christmas Day schedule on X, and there’s a good chance the Philadelphia 76ers will steal the spotlight. That is because LeBron James, for the first time in 8 years, will face the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are going to be James’ rivals on Christmas Day! Most importantly, his son, Bronny, will also face him that evening. James made his Christmas Day debut all the way back when he was an 18-year-old.

Meanwhile, a few more exciting matchups will take place at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day. The league will witness the repeat of the 2026 NBA Finals with Jalen Brunson’s New York Knicks facing Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs.

Following that, the fresh Miami Heat squad with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo will head to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics. The Oklahoma City Thunder will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. (Minnesota is hosting a Christmas Day game for the first time in its history.)

Finally, 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 remain the only team never to feature in a single Christmas Day game.

The NBA Cup schedule will be released on Wednesday, and full schedules for all 30 teams are set to be unveiled on Thursday afternoon.

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 its 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.

The Knicks will also raise their 2025-26 championship banner before hosting LeBron James and Philly. It will be an interesting matchup between the reigning champions and a heavily 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 likely start Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

On the next day, October 21, (on ESPN) the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a special rivalry clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.

Note that this will be the first time the Lakers won’t play on the NBA’s opening night since the 2018-19 season!

Games on Day 3 of the NBA will also feature on ESPN. The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET. After that, Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets will face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It is finally on Day 4 when the reigning champions, the New York Knicks, will face the Boston Celtics at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Houston Rockets facing the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET on October 23. Both these matchups will feature on Amazon Prime.

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