As previously reported by Front Office Sports, LeBron James’s 76ers received the maximum 34 national TV games in the NBA’s new 2026-27 schedule. But King James’s old team in Los Angeles still remains one of the league’s biggest TV draws.
Luka Doncic’s Lakers will also play in the maximum of 34 nationally televised/streamed games, along with James’s 76ers, Jalen Brunson’s defending champion Knicks, and Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the 2025 champion Thunder are scheduled for 30 national TV tilts. They’re followed by Steph Curry’s Warriors and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets with 28 apiece, then Jayson Tatum’s Celtics and Anthony Edwards’s Timberwolves with 27. In his first season in Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat will play in 25 national TV games.
The Lakers’ robust national TV schedule might surprise some given James’s departure in free agency, but maybe it shouldn’t. Even though the Spurs and Thunder are favored in the West, the Lakers still play in the country’s second-largest TV market and have one of the league’s largest fanbases. The 27-year-old Doncic led the league in scoring last season, averaging 33.5 points per game. It’s still Showtime in Los Angeles.
The Chosen One’s move to Philadelphia also enabled the NBA to create a juicy Christmas Day matchup on ESPN/ABC between the Lakers and the visiting Sixers. With both James and former Celtics star Jaylen Brown joining former MVP Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, the Sixers are set to more than double their national appearances from 14 last season. NBC also announced a holiday quadrupleheader for Presidents Day on Feb. 15: the day after ESPN/ABC televises Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles.
