August 11, 2026
Kirby Lee/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, is a transformational piece for the Sixers on and off the court.
The Sixers will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day 2026 as part of the NBA's five-game slate for the day, Malika Andrews of ESPN announced on Good Morning America, marking LeBron James' return to the city in which he spent the last eight years.
This will be the Sixers' seventh Christmas Day game since 2017, and James' decision to come to Philadelphia made the team a certainty to appear on the NBA's highest-profile slate of the season.
The shocking trade between the Sixers and Boston Celtics last month which swapped Jaylen Brown for Paul George opened the door for Brown to return to Boston on Christmas Day. But with the Sixers likely set to go on their annual "Disney on Ice" trip to the West Coast as December becomes January, Christmas Day will mark a return for James.
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Because of James' presence, the Sixers are likely to have 34 games on national television this season, the maximum allowable for any one team. The Celtics and Lakers are among the many teams whose matchups with this new-look roster will be appointment viewing.
Of course, the NBA's hope is that the Sixers' star-studded starting five – Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Joel Embiid – is on full display as much as possible. But given Embiid's injury history and James' age, it stands to reason the Sixers will not try to be at full strength on an everyday basis during the regular season.
The full schedule for the 2026-27 NBA season will be revealed on Thursday afternoon.
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James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
