LeBron James is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers, and that sets up a Christmas Day matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers that could put another rare line in the NBA record book.
James, who is entering his 24th season, was the summer’s biggest free agent. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the four-time NBA champion chose Philadelphia for what he described as his final run at another title.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday," ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote. "James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania."
That move leaves Bronny James with the Lakers, and the first meeting between father and son as opponents is slated for Christmas Day. If both players are healthy when the teams meet, it would be the first father-son matchup in the same NBA game.
Lakers insider Anthony F. Irwin noted that the date itself could add to the buzz around LeBron’s return to Los Angeles.
“Really curious how fans are going to react to LeBron’s return. A lot of the season will have taken place by Christmas and I feel like both teams’ records are going to play a role.
Also, kind of nice LeBron and Bronny get to be together for Christmas,” Lakers insider Anthony F. Irwin wrote.
The Jameses have already shared a piece of NBA history together. McMenamin pointed out that when LeBron passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer, Bronny was in the building. He also noted that in the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to be on the court together in an NBA game.
Now they’re on separate paths. Bronny is trying to keep building, while LeBron is chasing championship No.
- Christmas Day could give the family another historic moment, with LeBron back in Los Angeles for the holiday before potentially facing his son later that night.
In Other News...
Celtics Schedule Just Sparked A Jaylen Brown Debate Fans Will Feel
The NBAs opening-week schedule gave Boston a pair of early spotlight games, with the Celtics set to open against the Detroit Pistons on October 20 before facing the New York Knicks on October 23. But for Philadelphia fans, the more noticeable detail is what is not there: no Celtics-76ers meeting in that opening stretch and no holiday showdown on Christmas Day, either.
That absence has already fed the kind of leaguewide chatter that tends to follow a marquee Eastern Conference pairing, especially with fans and commentators wondering about the scheduling choices around Jaylen Browns move to Philadelphia. Even without a head-to-head date right away, the setup has only sharpened the curiosity around when the Celtics and 76ers will finally see each other and how much the league may be trying to hold that matchup back for a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Maxey Faces A New 76ers Reality With LeBron And Brown
Tyrese Maxey already knows the 76ers are heading into a different kind of season after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, and he is not pretending otherwise. The group has far more star power now, which means more attention, more lineup possibilities and a much different feel for a player who has spent recent seasons growing into one of Philadelphias most important offensive engines.
Maxey has acknowledged the adjustment ahead, while Nick Nurse gets the tricky part of making it all work. With more mouths to feed and more responsibilities to sort out, the rotation and the offensive hierarchy figures to look different on any given night, and how quickly those pieces settle in could shape the early months of Philadelphias new-look roster. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Land Another Big National Spotlight With Lakers Christmas Showcase
The Sixers are set for another marquee stage in the 2026-27 season, landing a Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers that will air on ABC and ESPN. It is the kind of slot that underscores how often Philadelphia finds itself in the leagues biggest windows, and it adds to a schedule that is already drawing plenty of attention before the calendar has even been unveiled.
Philadelphia also opens with the Knicks on opening night and gets the Cavaliers in its home opener, giving the early part of the season a distinctly spotlight feel. The NBA is still set to release the Cup group-stage schedule and the full slate later this week, so there will be more details to sort through soon, but the headline dates already show the Sixers are again part of the leagues featured programming. [Read more 🡒]