Fans itching to watch LeBron James play in his new Philadelphia uniform should get plenty of opportunities this season as the 76ers are expected to get the NBA’s maximum of 34 national game telecasts/streams, Front Office Sports reported Monday.
That would more than double the 14 national games the Sixers were featured in last season, when the team led by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey finished in a disappointing seventh place in the Eastern Conference at 45-37.
Now that the 41-year-old James has signed a two-year, $8 million contract to play in Philly, viewers can expect to see him featured prominently during tentpole league events like opening week and Christmas Day’s five-game slate.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on July 16 he was awaiting James’ decision before finalizing the schedule for the telecasts/streams across Disney’s ABC/ESPN, NBCUniversal’s NBC Sports/Peacock, and Amazon’s Prime Video. The league receives input from these partners before making the final schedule.
Four teams received the maximum 34 national games last season: the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, who play in the league’s biggest market; the Los Angeles Lakers in the No. 2 market; the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder; and four-time champion Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors.
