NEW YORK, Aug. 12 -- Opening night at Madison Square Garden on October 20 will be the first time LeBron James steps onto an NBA floor in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, and the opponent is the team that won the championship he spent last season watching from a distance: the New York Knicks.

The NBA released its 2026-27 regular season schedule this week, and if there was any doubt about how aggressively the league intended to build its calendar around its most consequential offseason signing, the first date on the slate made it plain. LeBron James, in his 24th NBA season, begins it against the defending champions, at their arena, on the night the league turns the lights back on.

The Knicks claimed the 2026 NBA title in June, ending one of ...