The Los Angeles Lakers will host LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate, the league announced early Tuesday morning. James will be returning to Los Angeles for the first time since the 41-year-old opted to leave the Lakers for the 76ers in free agency.
This marks the 28th consecutive season that the Lakers will play on Christmas Day, going all the way back to 1999. James himself played in eight Christmas Day games for the Lakers, going 3-5 in those contests. This will, incredibly, be James’ 20th consecutive Christmas Day game and 21st overall by himself. He is 11-9 overall on the holiday.
This was one of the highly-expected Christmas Day matchups, as there are arguably no two bigger viewership draws in the league right now than the Luka Doncic-led Lakers and James on another big market team in Philadelphia. That’s where much of the attention will be on the holiday.
All rumors support that there was a mutual parting of ways between James and the Lakers this offseason, and that there appears to be little animosity between the two parties. However, it might still be an interesting reception for James back in L.A.
Upon his exit, discourse immediately began about whether or not James was appreciated enough during his tenure with the purple and gold. Eight years marks the longest consecutive streak with one team in his storied career, and that eight years includes bringing the Lakers back to championship contention, winning the NBA title in 2020.
Still, a conversation was started about James’ legacy in L.A. How he’s welcomed back by fans will be a massive story to watch on Dec. 25.
The Lakers and 76ers face off in the 2:00 p.m. PT slot on ESPN and ABC, which is widely considered the true primetime Christmas game. The day is also headlined by an NBA Finals rematch between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in the opening 9:00 a.m. PT slot.
Full NBA Christmas Day 2026 Slate
All games will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
9:00 a.m. PT
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
TD Garden, Boston, MA
11:30 a.m. PT
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
2:00 p.m. PT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
5:00 p.m. PT
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
7:30 p.m. PT
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