The NBA released its 2025-26 schedule, and the league made one thing unmistakably clear: everything still revolves around LeBron James. The 41-year-old opens the season at Madison Square Garden against the reigning champion New York Knicks, then headlines Christmas Day in Los Angeles against his former team, the Lakers. His new club, the Philadelphia 76ers, is tied for the league maximum of 34 nationally televised games. Joining the Sixers and Knicks with 34 national broadcasts are the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder follow with 30. Every team in the league has at least two national TV appearances, but only those four clubs are being positioned as the league’s main attractions. That group is no coincidence. The Spurs and Thunder are among the betting favorites to win the championship, New York is the defending champion, and Philadelphia added both LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a roster that already featured Joel Embiid.
The schedule also tilts in favor of the top contenders. Oklahoma City is coming off back-to-back 60-plus win seasons and enters next season with the easiest strength of schedule in the league. The last team to win 60 games in three straight seasons was Golden State from 2014 through 2017. San Antonio has 94 days of rest built into its schedule, tied for the most in the league, an advantage that could help keep Victor Wembanyama fresh.
New York is tied for the fewest road games on the second night of back-to-backs, with just five. Philadelphia received the most notable treatment. The Sixers have among the fewest stretches of three games in four nights, among the fewest back-to-backs, and no stretches of five games in seven nights. The schedule appears designed to protect an aging roster led by a soon-to-be 42-year-old James and injury-prone Embiid.
But the protection goes beyond rest days. The league built its two biggest regular-season television moments around James. Opening night in New York and Christmas in Los Angeles are expected to be the highest-rated regular-season games of the year. That has created an awkward situation for the Knicks.
New York will raise its championship banner and receive its rings at Madison Square Garden, but the pregame conversation will be dominated by one question: what do you think about LeBron in Philadelphia? As ESPN analyst Ramona Shelburne put it, the defending champions may get their rings, but they will not get their night. Every microphone in the building will be pointed at the visiting team’s newest superstar. Christmas Day reinforces the message.
LeBron will be playing his 20th Christmas game, and over the past two decades, he has averaged roughly 27 points on the holiday. The game also allows him to be home in Los Angeles with his family during the holidays. The league has essentially admitted it was waiting on LeBron’s decision. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said a week before James signed with the Sixers that the schedule could not be completed until he announced his choice, because where he played would affect opening week and Christmas Day.
That level of deference is rare in sports history. As one analyst noted, when Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, or Hakeem Olajuwon aged, the spotlight moved on. When the NBA issued its schedule this year, it did not move on from LeBron. James is no longer averaging 30 points per game.
He averaged roughly 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists last season. But the league still considers him one of its safest bets for ratings and attention, 24 years into his career. His move to Philadelphia is seen as a contention play, with the Sixers holding the third-best title odds. His previous stops in Miami and Cleveland were framed as comfort picks, and his time in Los Angeles was questioned as a brand play.
Philadelphia is different: it is about winning now. The schedule suggests the league believes LeBron remains good for business, and it did not hold his delayed decision against him. It built its biggest nights around him anyway. Whether opening night against the Knicks or Christmas against the Lakers, the message is clear.
The regular season’s most anticipated games, the most favorable travel schedule, and the maximum number of national broadcasts have all been built around a 41-year-old forward. The NBA’s 2025-26 schedule is out, and it is not subtle about who still drives the league’s business. The king is still the center of the show.
