LeBron James is not only the oldest active NBA player—the cagey veteran has put in more than twice the number of spins around the sun as the league’s youngest baller, Cooper Flagg—he’s also its biggest draw. Such has been the case since James made his debut in 2003, and his return to the Eastern Seaboard should go a long way toward helping the NBA stave off a seemingly inevitable ratings slide this fall.
Discounting the NBA’s Christmas Day quintet, James’ Los Angeles Lakers appeared in the five most-watched regular-season telecasts of the 2025-26 campaign, and were the main attraction through the first two rounds of the playoffs. In relocating to Philadelphia, the four-time champion will bolster an already formidable Eastern Conference slate, which in turn should help boost the back ends of the national doubleheaders on NBC and ESPN.
While James’ workload may be somewhat diminished in Philly—2017-18 marked the last time he suited up for a full slate of 82 games—the Sixers are all but guaranteed to be featured in 34 national windows this season. That’s the NBA max, and marks a significant upgrade for a Philadelphia team that popped up in 14 coast-to-coast telecasts a year ago. James played in 60 regular-season games in 2025-26, good for 73% of the Lakers’ outings; should that percentage hold up throughout this coming season, the league’s media partners can expect LeBron to make 25 national appearances in his new threads.
