While most fans in the stands at Madison Square Garden are looking forward to the New York Knicks lifting their first NBA title banner in 53 years on Tuesday night, there will be a minority excited for this new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers, which will feature the league’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, during the 2026-27 season.
Expectations are just as high in Philadelphia as they are in New York this season, especially with James joining the likes of Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe on a team that could do damage in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are still the team to beat – they are the reigning champions after all – out of the East, but the 76ers are another early-season favorite to win the conference because of the star power.
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We’ve seen so-called “super teams” come and go throughout sports, and James was a part of one that ended up seeing success with one during his Miami Heat years. Could the same thing occur in Year 24 in the NBA, this time in Philly?
Either way, one NBA legend believes this is a dream scenario for the league, granted things turn out the way they’re supposed to on paper.
“Lebron in Philly is exactly the kind of storyline that the league thrives on,” Carmelo Anthony told OutKick, while highlighting his role in DraftKings new campaign for the NBA season. “You got a guy who’s done everything in this game of basketball. He’s now in a new city with a hungry, starving fan base that was almost there a couple of seasons ago. So, that didn’t go anywhere. They’re not so far beyond that point. They still understand the process.
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“So, if they figure it out with the fit and time, they figure it out early, to me that’s important. They’re a problem for everyone in the East, including New York. Because they’re not going to let off the gas if they are healthy.”
James figures to be a catalyst of sorts in this 76ers juggernaut, though there are questions surrounding his regular-season availability – he turns 42 in December – and what role he will play given the All-Star options around him.
As we saw with the Los Angeles Lakers, James didn’t mind wearing different hats. He played the leading scorer role if needed, facilitated as a pseudo point guard in some cases, and simply moved around the court to allow space for another star that was getting hot on the offensive end.
Philadelphia has 5 strong scorers when they tip off on Tuesday night in Manhattan, which is why the thought of this team fully healthy throughout the season is intriguing.
It’s also why some believe James is simply setting himself up for one more final push for a fifth NBA title ring. This group, in his eyes, is ready to make that run, so could this be his final year in the NBA?
“Now, I haven’t spoken to him about that part of it. But I would say just observing from afar and comprehending where he’s at mentally, he loves the game of basketball,” Anthony replied when asked that exact questions. “He also loves challenges, right? I think this is a challenge that he distilled into himself that he’s willing to take on. He understands that this is Year 20-something in the league, and he’s not going to be able to do it the way [he did in the past]. He understands all of that. I don’t think he’s coming into Philly with that mentality.
“I think he’s coming I with, ‘I know I have a high-impact guard in Tyrese [Maxey]. I know I have a high-impact shooting guard in Jaylen Brown on both sides of the basketball. I know I have, when healthy, arguably the best big man in the game of basketball in Joel Embiid.’ He’s seeing all of these pieces – we got a young, explosive V.J. Edgecombe that he’s going to get better from an intellect standpoint. He’s going to learn the little intricacies of the game of basketball that LeBron understands. He’s going to teach that to him.
“I just like Philly, if they get it right and the fit and time, and they get it right early, they’ll be in the driver’s seat.”
STAYING MELO WITH DRAFTKINGS
While Anthony is looking forward to what the Knicks do this season, he’s excited for his partnership with DraftKings and being a part of its campaign ahead of the season.
“We got a great campaign, man. Myself, Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas. We really came together, and I got to give a shoutout to DraftKings and that creative team for putting that concept together,” he said. “The beauty in that is the fact that we can have more fun with DraftKings because it’s in all 50 states now, which is major. I just love the fact that more people are involved, and more people can have fun with the game of basketball in this sense, and just sports in general. I love that.”
Anthony called it a “beautiful thing” being able to work alongside Hart and Jonas for the campaign, which he is excited for fans to see.
With DraftKings available in all 50 states, the campaign revolves around Hart and Jonas traveling throughout the country, where car troubles can happen. As the tow truck figures out their situation, Anthony is waiting with his own car problems in the clip as he tries to get the word out about DraftKings.