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LeBron James begins a record 24th NBA season at age 41 on Tuesday as the Philadelphia 76ers open the league’s 81st season at the New York Knicks.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Wednesday in Türkiye) at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City, and airs on NBC and Peacock. The Knicks, who won the 2026 NBA title, will raise their first championship banner since 1973 before the game.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, said in June he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. On July 24, he announced on X that he was joining the 76ers, and two days later the team revealed he signed a two-year deal worth $8 million. The contract includes a player option.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote in his announcement.
James is a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and has won four titles, two with Miami, one with Cleveland and one with the Lakers. The 76ers last won a championship in 1983, and James could become the first player to win NBA titles with four or more clubs.
Former Boston star Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe share the same goal of a first NBA title. Philadelphia, located about 95 miles southwest of New York City, acquired Brown in a trade before James signed with the club.
“Everybody is kind of on the same page,” James said. “We want to put the work in. That’s most important.”
James also said he hopes to help Embiid, his 2024 U.S. Olympic gold medal teammate, win a first NBA crown.
James had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in his preseason debut for the 76ers, a 114-108 loss at Brooklyn. He has career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals over 1,622 games.
James said building chemistry will take time. “It’s going to take some time,” he said, adding that people who want quick results “want instant oatmeal.”
“For us to be great we have to do things that are just not comfortable,” James said. “I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.”
The 76ers play their first home game on Oct. 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. James faces the Lakers in Los Angeles on Christmas Day.
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