As LeBron James prepares to become the first player to ever play a 24th NBA season, he’s doing so with a new team after signing with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent last month.
After winning four titles and creating countless must-see moments while playing for the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers, the NBA’s all-time leader in points and games played will begin to write a new chapter in his unprecedented career.
Here are 10 can’t-miss games as LeBron begins his first season in Philly, listed in chronological order:
1. Sixers debut on Opening Night
- 76ers vs. Knicks — Tues., Oct. 20 (7 ET, NBC/Peacock)
James will make his Sixers debut on the opening night of the 2026-27 regular season visiting the defending champion Knicks in New York. This game will not only provide our first impression of the new-look Sixers — who also added Jaylen Brown via trade in the offseason — but it will also take place on the league’s brightest stage: Madison Square Garden. In 34 career games at MSG, James is 24-10 with averages of 28.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
2. Philly’s home opener against Cleveland
- Cavaliers vs. 76ers — Thurs., Oct. 22 (7 ET, ESPN)
Two days later, the Sixers play their home opener as Philly fans get to see James in a Sixers uniform for the first time in person. Expect a thunderous reception from the Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd as this new starting five is introduced for the first time. This game has the added layer of being against the Cavaliers. As he was making his “final decision,” James considered a return to Cleveland, where he began his career in 2003 and led them to a title in 2016. In the end, he chose Philly over the potential full-circle storybook ending.
3. Playoffs rematch after seven-game series
- Celtics vs. 76ers — Tues., Nov. 10 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Over the course of James’ career, the Celtics have been both a personal and a team rival. Boston was the team that Cleveland could not overcome in 2008 and 2010, but the team James conquered in 2012 with Miami on his way to his first title. When he became a Laker, James joined the NBA’s most historic rivalry. And now, as a Sixer, he’s part of a new rivalry that has a rich history and recent matchups, including seven-game series in both the 2023 (won by Boston) and 2026 (won by Philly) playoffs.
4. Top 5 scorers of all-time collide
- 76ers vs. Rockets — Sat., Nov. 28 (8:30 ET, League Pass)
When two modern-day icons clash, it is a must-see game. That is the case when James and the Sixers visit Kevin Durant and the Rockets on Thanksgiving Weekend. It’s a matchup of two of the top-five scorers in NBA history: James enters the season No. 1 at 43,440 career points, while Durant enters at No. 5 with 32,597. That’s nearly 76,000 points between the two superstars, who are meeting for the 48th time between the regular season and playoffs. James holds a 27-20 edge in all-time head-to-head meetings.
5. An L.A. return on Christmas Day
- 76ers vs. Lakers — Fri., Dec. 25 (5 ET, ABC/ESPN)
After spending the past eight seasons with the Lakers, James returns to Los Angeles for the first time as a member of the Sixers — and he does so on Christmas Day. No player has played in more games (20) or scored more points (525) on the holiday than James, who will add to those records with his 21st Christmas Day appearance. There is another piece of history that can be made in this matchup. After becoming the first father-son duo to share the court as teammates with the Lakers, LeBron and Bronny James can be the first father and son to face each other in an NBA game.
6. A birthday fit for a King
- 76ers vs. Suns — Wed., Dec. 30 (9 ET, League Pass)
James will celebrate his 42nd birthday in Phoenix when the Sixers visit the Suns. Playing on his birthday is nothing new for James, who has averaged 31.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in 38.5 minutes per game over 11 games played on his birthday. James will become only the seventh player to play an NBA game at age 42 or older, joining Dikembe Mutombo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Udonis Haslem and Vince Carter.
7. Return to Miami for AWS NBA Rivals Week
- 76ers vs. Heat — Sat., Jan. 30 (12:30 ET, ABC)
James returns to Miami — where he played four seasons, reached four NBA Finals and won two titles in 2012 and 2013 — for the first time since joining the Sixers in the offseason. Similar to Cleveland, Miami was another former team that James considered returning to as he pondered his “final decision” in free agency. This AWS NBA Rivals Week matchup will be the third meeting of the season between James and the Sixers and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat, but the first one played in South Beach.
8. LeBron vs. Steph, Chapter 57
- 76ers vs. Warriors — Wed., March 24 (10 ET, ESPN)
This is another icon vs. icon matchup as James and the Sixers visit Steph Curry and the Warriors for the first of two meetings this season, both taking place within a single week. James and Curry have faced each other in 56 total games between the regular season (27; James leads 14-13), playoffs (28; Curry leads 17-11) and play-in (1; James leads 1-0). While there was buzz about James joining forces with Curry, Draymond Green and company in the offseason, the final decision came down to Philly, Cleveland and Miami.
9. Three-time MVPs clash in Denver
- 76ers vs. Nuggets — Sun., March 28 (10 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Only nine players in NBA history have won at least three Kia MVP awards. The only two active players on that list — James (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013) and Nikola Jokić (2021, 2022 and 2024) — meet for the final time in the regular season in this Mile High City matchup. These two basketball savants each rank in the top five on the all-time triple-doubles list entering this season: Jokić second at 198, LeBron fifth at 125. Seeing these two masters at work against one another is must-see TV.
10. LeBron’s regular-season finale
- Hornets vs. 76ers — Sun., April 11 (6 ET, League Pass)
Philadelphia’s regular-season finale against Charlotte has the potential to be James’ final regular-season game. While he signed a two-year deal with the Sixers, the second year is a player option, which leaves the door open to a potential conclusion of one of the greatest careers in the history of all of sports.
When James announced his decision to join the Sixers, he said he initially thought his final game with the Lakers — a loss to OKC in the Western Conference Semifinals — was going to be the end of the road.
“I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game,” James wrote. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”
Whether this is the last season or not, be sure to catch as many of these James games as possible. We almost certainly will not see a career like this again.
