The Sixers will open the 2026-27 season on the road against the defending champion Knicks, a fittingly sharp start to a year that’s already carrying championship expectations.
The NBA released the full schedule Thursday, giving Philadelphia its first full look at LeBron James’ first season in town after a busy offseason that also brought in Jaylen Brown during Mike Gansey’s first summer as president of basketball operations. The league’s calendar includes 80 games for every team right now, with the final two dates to be announced in December after the NBA Cup group stage.
Philadelphia’s first test comes Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. ET in New York.
The next key checkpoint arrives two nights later, when the Sixers host the Cavaliers in their home opener on Oct. 22.
And when the calendar flips to the holidays, the Sixers will spend Christmas in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
There’s plenty of reason to think Xfinity Mobile Arena will be buzzing all season for a team with real title hopes. The Sixers are coming off a sweep at the hands of the Knicks in the postseason, and they’re trying to get past the second round for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
“As someone that’s competed against Philadelphia for a large amount of time, one thing I can say is the fan base here is incredible,” Brown said last week at his introductory press conference. “They really get behind the guys.
It’s one of the harder-playing arenas to be in with the intensity level, the engagement. The fans, you can tell that they love the city and the team here.”
Training camps for teams not traveling overseas in the preseason are set to open Sept. 29, according to the NBA. Philadelphia already has three preseason games on the books, including two against the Celtics.
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