October 21, 2026
The Sixers are 1-0 after knocking off the defending champion New York Knicks on the night the Knicks received their rings for winning last year's NBA title.
LeBron James, in his anticipated Sixers debut, totaled 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the 106-100 win at Madison Square Garden – including the final rebound to seal the first of what James and the Sixers expect to be a truckload of wins.
But even before the season-opening win, James was already planting seeds within the Sixers that have made him one of the greatest players in the sport's history, a 22-time All Star, and four-time NBA champion.
After the game, the 42-year-old James explained how he's been setting the tone for the Sixers the way he's done for almost all of his prior 23 seasons.
"By going out and doing the shit that I preach," James told reporters. "I’m in there every day. I'm there before everybody gets to the gym. I’m one of the last ones to leave."
James is part of rebuilt Sixers nucleus that includes holdovers Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, two stars who have fallen short in the postseason several times during their careers, and newcomer Jaylen Brown, who won a title with the Celtics three years ago before coming to the Sixers in a stunning offseason trade.
He was a major part of a defensive adjustment coach Nick Nurse made that helped the Sixers hang on to beat the Knicks, who made a living off fourth-quarter comebacks in last year's playoffs.
James has won championships with the Heat, Cavs and Lakers, and said the common recipe for that success is walking his talk.
"I mean, I work. I don't just be like telling guys to do it and I don't hold myself accountable," he said. "And if I'm not doing something, I want the guys to hold me accountable. So, I think that goes a long way.”
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