The 2026-27 NBA season is under way, and the headline act arrives at Madison Square Garden at 10am AEDT on Wednesday, when the champion New York Knicks raise their title banner before hosting LeBron James and his new-look Philadelphia 76ers.
The season opens with a tripleheader, ESPN said. The Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons in a rare daytime game (6am AEDT), the 76ers face the Knicks at MSG (10am AEDT), and the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs (12.30pm AEDT).
New York won its first NBA championship in half a century in June, beating the Spurs in the Finals. Before Wednesday’s game, coach Mike Brown, Jalen Brunson and the rest of the Knicks will receive their championship rings and a banner will be unveiled, ESPN reported.
LeBron’s Garden homecoming
James signed with the 76ers in free agency and now lines up alongside Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. He told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin at Sixers media day that he had wanted to join the Knicks this year.
“I had visions of playing in the Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James said. “I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it.”
Read more: NBA: LeBron Tells Sixers Media Day He Didn’t Leave Family to Lose in Second Round
Including the playoffs, James is 28-11 at MSG in his career and has averaged 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game there, according to ESPN.
His commute has also made headlines. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday (US time) that the helicopter James uses to travel from New York to Philadelphia is “perfectly appropriate”.
“He has a deal with Fanatics,” Silver said. “It’s perfectly appropriate if part of his deal is they’re going to supply a helicopter to him as long as it’s just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved; there’s no rules issue there whatsoever.”
The rest of opening night
Detroit is coming off a 60-win season, while Boston debuts the pairing of Jayson Tatum and Paul George. The night ends with a rematch of the 2026 Western Conference finals, five months after San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in Game 7 to reach the Finals.
Read more: Cason Wallace Agrees Five-Year, $139m Thunder Extension
The Los Angeles Lakers start their season at home against the Golden State Warriors at 1pm AEDT on Thursday.
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