76ers Beat Knicks on Ring Night as James Makes Philly Debut

James shines on 76ers debut as Philly spoils Knicks ring night

Knicks raise third championship banner but fall to 76ers as Jalen Brunson leads New York with 21 points in NBA season opener.

Philly spoils Knicks' banner night as new-look 76ers win opener...

LeBron James and his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates gatecrashed the New York Knicks' season-opening celebrations on Tuesday, beating the defending NBA champions 106-100 on the night they raised their title banner at Madison Square Garden.

James, 41 and entering a record-extending 24th NBA season with his fourth team, scored 14 points and delivered seven of the 76ers' 28 assists in an intriguing glimpse of how he will operate as a facilitator for younger teammates such as Tyrese Maxey, who led all scorers with 28 points.

Speaking to broadcaster NBC, James said: “I could be a lot better. Still getting my rhythm, obviously just a little bit over two weeks with the new squad.

“But I like the way we played. I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively.”

Former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who joined Philly in a shock July trade for Paul George, finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Joel Embiid contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.

LeBron James and Jaylen Brown make their Philly debuts, @sixers open the season with a W ‼️ @KingJames: 14 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST @FCHWPO: 19 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST https://t.co/0tdCrZBsLP

— NBA (@NBA) October 21, 2026

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds, but after reclaiming the lead in the third quarter the 76ers held off every Knicks rally.

The Knicks ended a 53-year title drought by beating the San Antonio Spurs in last season's NBA Finals.

Knicks legends including Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier presented the championship rings during an emotional pre-game ceremony at the Garden, where the crowd included die-hard celebrity fans Ben Stiller and Spike Lee alongside other notable faces such as rocker Jon Bon Jovi and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Before the franchise's third championship banner was lifted to the rafters, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Brunson told fans the Knicks were “ready to turn the page as a team.”

“But one thing I would like to say - the joy that this city had this summer we'd love to replicate that again,” Brunson said, as the Knicks target becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2018.

James, a four-time NBA champion and the league's all-time leading scorer, admitted that winning on another team's ring night made it even sweeter.

“It's pretty special,” he said.

Both teams were slow to find their rhythm offensively. James opened his scoring account for his new team with a layup that cut the deficit to 19-18 late in the first quarter.

The Knicks stretched their advantage to 10 on three occasions in the second quarter, but the Sixers steadily chipped away and went into halftime down by just four.

A steal by the 76ers led to Brown throwing an alley-oop to James for a basket that brought Philadelphia within one early in the third quarter, and James's running layup put the Sixers ahead 64-63.

The teams exchanged leads before the 76ers pulled away for good, holding on after New York trimmed the deficit to one late in the final period.