LeBron James and Jaylen Brown will not get the benefit of easing into their new surroundings in Philadelphia.
Their first game in a 76ers uniform comes Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks. The championship banner will go up, the rings will come out and then one of the Eastern Conference’s most anticipated rivalries will resume.
Josh Hart already knows how he wants the night to end.
The Knicks guard told Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview that he hopes New York can do to Philadelphia what the Boston Celtics once did to the Knicks on their own championship Ring Night.
“I would love for it to be a Ring Night-esque of Boston the other two years ago when we played them on Ring Night and they just beat the hell out of us,” Hart said.
“I would love to do that that game.”
Consider the stakes set.
LeBron James, Jaylen Brown Get Immediate Test With 76ers
GettyLeBron James and Jaylen Brown will face an early test in their tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers against the defending champion New York Knicks on opening night.
Philadelphia’s offseason has changed the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.
James signed with the Sixers after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing the NBA’s all-time leading scorer back East for what will be his record 24th season. He joins a roster already featuring Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Before James arrived, Philadelphia acquired Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, in a blockbuster deal with Boston.
The result is a Sixers roster constructed to contend immediately — and an opening-night assignment that should provide an early measurement of just how quickly all those pieces fit.
The NBA scheduled Philadelphia and New York for 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 on NBC and Peacock. It will be the first regular-season appearance for James and Brown as Sixers.
Hart expects the atmosphere to match the billing.
“It would be fun,” Hart told Heavy Sports. “The energy would be electric. Obviously, getting our rings would be super cool.”
Josh Hart Remembers Being on Wrong Side of Ring Night
Hart’s reference to Boston wasn’t accidental.
The Celtics opened the 2024-25 season by celebrating their championship before beating the Knicks, 132-109. Boston tied the NBA record by making 29 3-pointers that night.
Hart hasn’t forgotten the experience.
Now Philadelphia will be standing on the other side of the ceremony, waiting for the Knicks to finish celebrating the championship the Sixers hope to take from them.
“Obviously, [it’s] a new opponent who we’ve had several playoff battles with the last couple years,” Hart said, “and them getting better with adding Jaylen and Bron. So it’s going to be fun.”
LeBron James Reunion Adds Intrigue to 76ers-Knicks Opener
James adds another layer for Hart. The two spent Hart’s first two NBA seasons together with the Lakers before Hart was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade.
Their paths will cross again with considerably different stakes.
Hart has also spoken exclusively with Heavy Sports about his desire to potentially finish his career in New York and how his father’s advice and lessons from becoming an Eagle Scout helped shape the mentality he carried into the Knicks’ championship run.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, isn’t bringing James and Brown together simply to participate in somebody else’s celebration.
The Sixers haven’t won a championship since 1983, and James made his intentions explicit after choosing Philadelphia: He still wants to compete for another title.
The first obstacle happens to be the team holding the trophy.
Hart believes the Knicks will be ready.
“If we’re focused on being the best team that we can be,” Hart said, “at the end of the day, we’ll be in a very good position.”
The Sixers will find out immediately where they stand.
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