The Sixers are headed back to Christmas Day, and this year’s holiday date comes with a familiar heavyweight: the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
It’s a matchup with some history behind it. The last time Philadelphia and Los Angeles met on Christmas was in 2001 at the Staples Center, when the Sixers fell 88-82 despite Allen Iverson pouring in 31 points.
Philadelphia has had plenty of holiday action in recent years, too. The team didn’t appear on Christmas in 2025, but it played in three straight Christmas Day games from 2022-2024 and also had a run from 2017-2019.
Across the six Christmas games listed above, the Sixers went 4-2. On the holiday overall, they’re 8-8, and 19-14 when the Syracuse Nationals franchise is included.
The Lakers also bring recent success against Philadelphia into the matchup. Los Angeles swept the Sixers last season, with LeBron James burying a key late go-ahead three-pointer in the December 7 win. Austin Reaves then scored 35 points in the Lakers’ February 7 victory.
The Christmas Day meeting is set for a 5 p.m. tip-off and will air on ABC/ESPN and 97.3 ESPN Radio.
Philadelphia sports fans won’t have to wait long for the next holiday centerpiece, either. The Eagles play the Houston Texans on Christmas Eve, and then the Sixers take center stage on Christmas Day against the Lakers.
The NBA also announced the Sixers’ opening-night schedule for the 2026-2027 season, with Philadelphia starting Tuesday, October 20 at Madison Square Garden against the World Champion New York Knicks. The home opener is set for Thursday, October 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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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 🡒]