At one point during LeBron James' free agency, agent Rich Paul said the NBA superstar would have signed with the New York Knicks had they not won the title.
Turns out, he'll open his season at Madison Square Garden anyway.
James' Philadelphia 76ers will meet the defending-champion New York Knicks on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in primetime of the NBA's Opening Day for the 2026-27 season. The Knicks' banner ceremony will take place pre-game.
Earlier, the Boston Celtics will visit the Detroit Pistons in the first game of the season.
To cap off the Day 1 festivities, Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs will welcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals.
The opening-day slate was part of the NBA's first batch of schedule announcements on Tuesday, which also included Christmas Day and other first-week matchups.
New York will once again feature on the holiday, as it gets the first game of the day in a Finals rematch at home against Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Later, James will return to Los Angeles as his 76ers take on Luka Doncic and the Lakers.
Other Christmas games include the Miami Heat visiting the Celtics, the Thunder travelling to face the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors hosting the Denver Nuggets.
Here are all the games announced Tuesday by the NBA:
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (3 p.m. ET / noon PT)
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT)
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)
Thursday, Oct. 22
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT)
Friday, Oct. 23
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT)
Friday, Dec. 25
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (noon ET / 9 a.m. PT)
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT)
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT)
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