Philadelphia 76ers fans have an incredibly entertaining NBA season coming their way. After the team added two superstars in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, they will be pushed into the spotlight more than anybody.
On Tuesday, the league started announcing key slates, beginning with Opening Night and Christmas Day. You bet the Sixers are in on both, with the latter taking place in one of LeBron's former stomping grounds--the home of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The history of LeBron James on Christmas Day
When you have a player like LeBron on your team, you just witness history all of the time.
Heading into his first season with the Sixers, LeBron is already a historic performer on Christmas. Being such a major draw for the NBA with over two decades of experience, James has the most appearances on the league's Christmas Day slate.
Seeing as though LeBron rarely plays on struggling teams, he also has the most wins on Christmas Day with a 55.0% winning percentage. He's far from a lock to help the Sixers secure a victory on the road against the Lakers this year, but another victory for LeBron will build on his legacy and give Philly fans one of their many opportunities to watch history get made this year.
Will the Lakers be a powerhouse?
Not having LeBron on the roster for the first time in eight years, the Lakers are looking at a lot of unknowns this season.
While they are in good hands with the Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves combination, they haven't had too much time playing without LeBron in the past. During the 2025-2026 NBA season, James ended up missing 22 games, which is rare for the veteran forward. During that time, the Lakers posted a 14-8 record. It's a winning one, so that's promising for them heading into the post-LeBron era.
Considering the stakes of the game, the Sixers know they can't overlook the Lakers on the road. While Doncic is 2-3 in games that he played on Christmas in the past, he made history in 2023 with the Dallas Mavericks by posting 50 points, joining just a handful of NBA legends in scoring a 50-burger on the holiday.
The NBA surely did the right thing by putting the Sixers and the Lakers on the Christmas Day slate. While Philly is typically taking on an Eastern Conference opponent, playing Boston, Miami, New York, and Milwaukee in their past four Christmas Day games, the league is sending them to LA on the holiday for the first time since 2001.
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