Philadelphia’s Christmas visit to Los Angeles could turn LeBron James and Bronny James from historic teammates into the first father-and-son to face each other in an NBA game. The NBA officially announced that LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers will visit Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 25, 2026, creating the possibility that a father and son will compete against each other in an NBA game for the first time.
According to the NBA’s official 2026 Christmas Day schedule announcement, Philadelphia will face Los Angeles at 5 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The league specifically highlighted the family storyline, noting that after LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to share an NBA court as teammates, they now have an opportunity to become the first father and son to face each other.
That possibility makes the matchup much bigger than a typical holiday game. It would also mark one of LeBron’s most emotional returns to Los Angeles after ending his eight season run with the Lakers and joining Philadelphia. The league’s all time scoring leader officially moved to Philadelphia during the 2026 offseason. The decision put LeBron on a different team from Bronny for the first time since his son entered the league.
The family has already made NBA history together once.
LeBron and Bronny became the first father-and-son to play in an NBA regular season game together on October 22, 2024. They checked into the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves together during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena.
The moment completed a goal LeBron had discussed publicly for years. Bronny had been selected by Los Angeles with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, creating a situation professional basketball had never seen before. No father and son had previously appeared in the NBA at the same time, much less played together.
There is another layer to the Christmas game that makes the scheduling especially compelling. According to the NBA’s schedule announcement, this will be LeBron’s first trip back to Los Angeles to face the Lakers since leaving the organization. That means the game combines a homecoming, a family story and a potentially unprecedented NBA moment into one nationally televised matchup.
James spent eight seasons with the Lakers and helped the franchise win the 2020 NBA championship before choosing Philadelphia for what he described as the final move of his career.
There is still an important distinction between the scheduled game and the potential record. The NBA has confirmed the 76ers and Lakers will play on December 25, but neither LeBron nor Bronny is guaranteed to take the floor. Injuries, roster decisions and coaching rotations can affect player availability during any regular season game.
If both players check into the game, though, the moment becomes official.
The LeBron Bronny matchup would represent something the NBA has never had before. Two generations of the same family would be competing against each other at basketball’s highest level, just two years after they became the league’s first father and son teammates.
