James joins 76ers as NBA opening night puts stars in focus
The NBA’s 2026-27 season opened on Tuesday with LeBron James joining the 76ers as they visited the Knicks; the Spurs hosted the Thunder.
AI-generated illustration · Not an actual photo of the events described
The NBA’s 2026-27 season began on Tuesday, 20 October, with three games on its Opening Night schedule. The Philadelphia 76ers visited the New York Knicks, while the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in the primetime doubleheader.
James joined a talented Philadelphia squad featuring Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown. Karl-Anthony Towns played for the Knicks, while Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs faced an Oklahoma City side they met in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
James begins a new chapter in Philadelphia
James entered his 24th NBA season with new teammates around him. Maxey, Embiid and Brown give Philadelphia several scoring options.
The matchup put James opposite a Knicks team featuring Towns.
Towns and Wembanyama bring recent form into view
Towns entered the 2026-27 campaign without the contract extension he had wanted. He averaged 15.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for the Knicks in last season’s playoffs, with 55/45/90 shooting splits. In four games against Philadelphia last season, he averaged 19 points per game.
In Game 1 of last season’s Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama recorded 41 points and 24 rebounds. Across that series, he averaged 27.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Across five regular-season meetings with the Thunder, including the NBA Cup, Wembanyama averaged 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Source: CBS Sports. This article was compiled by the iBET.news newsroom from the source report and other public information.
