The New York Knicks’ path to repeating as NBA champions just got a lot more challenging, especially in the Eastern Conference. Following the Knicks’ NBA title run, there are a lot of sliding door moments where things could potentially have played out differently.
Had the Knicks missed out on the NBA championship, LeBron James may have been playing for the Knicks, not the Philadelphia 76ers. It looks like James will have to settle for living in New York City, but more on that later.
The 76ers officially announced that James has signed his free-agent deal. Now, the NBA has a prime (time) opportunity as the league looks to finalize the schedule.
There is plenty of chatter that the Knicks will face the Sixers on opening night as the franchise puts up the team’s new championship banner. The Athletic’s David Aldridge predicts that the Knicks will square off against the James-led Sixers on October 20, 2026, on NBC.
Additionally, the insider’s predictions have the San Antonio Spurs hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second game of the opening night double-header.
“I don’t have to explain the whys of the first one (Sixers-Knicks), right?” Aldridge wrote in a July 24, story titled, “Who should LeBron James’ 76ers play on opening night and Christmas? Some schedule predictions.”
“Meanwhile, maybe the best rivalry in the league picks up where Game 7 of the West finals last spring left off in the nightcap.”
Knicks Rumors: Jalen Brunson Was Against LeBron James Signing With New York
Prior to James committing to the 76ers, the star’s agent Rich Paul revealed that the Knicks “checked in” on the superstar during NBA free agency. Yet, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor reported that Knicks star Jalen Brunson did not want James to sign with the Knicks.
“The Knicks winning removed New York from the conversation for LeBron James,” the analyst said on a July 24, episode of “The Kevin O’Connor Show.” “Jalen Brunson did not recruit LeBron. Jalen Brunson did not want LeBron James in New York, according to my sources.
“Whereas Philadelphia, (Tyrese) Maxey, (Joel) Embiid, Jaylen Brown, these guys were on the phone with LeBron James,” O’Connor added.
“Recruiting him, texting him, telling him how much they wanted him to be there, which is why I think what the questions about this fit with these guys together are perfectly fair. All these guys together are going to have to sacrifice in ways that they truly never have before.”
NBA News: LeBron James Considers Living in New York City Despite Signing With 76ers
While James signing with the Knicks did not happen for a variety of reasons, the star still appears dedicated to trying to live in New York City. This is made possible by the Sixers’ training facility being located in New Jersey rather than Pennsylvania.
“One source briefed on the process told The Stein Line that the Sixers’ proximity to New York City indeed emerged as a significant bonus lure on top of the chance for James to compete for a fifth career championship ring — with a record fourth separate NBA franchise — by teaming up with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, V.J. Edgecombe and Joel Embiid,” NBA insider Marc Stein explained in a July 27, article for The Stein Line.
“The option of joining the Knicks and making his beloved Madison Square Garden his new home arena was not really there for James after the Knicks won it all in June, as established early in free agency by his longtime agent Rich Paul, but signing with the 76ers will enable James to maintain residences in both New York and Philadelphia if he chooses.”
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