The relentless rivalry between New York and Philadelphia is thriving. And King James fit seamlessly into. The long-standing relationship between LeBron James and Madison Square Garden was the biggest storyline on a night the New York Knicks raised the banner after a 53-year championship drought. Amid the Philadelphia 76ers players passing on the historic moment, LeBron’s free agency decision took center stage during the game.
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James and MSG’s long history reached a surreal milestone on Tuesday night as the Knicks kicked off their title defense against the 76ers. Stepping to the free-throw line in the second quarter of his record-setting 24th NBA season, the 41-year-old superstar was greeted not with admiration, but with a wall of noise as the MSG crowd broke into a unified chant: “WE DON’T WANT YOU!”
The taunt appeared to have an immediate effect, as James sank his first charity stripe attempt before rattling the second shot off the rim.
James even had a moment jawing with a Knicks fan in the sidelines and yelling, “I’m not from the West Coast. I’m from Ohio baby. F–k is you talking about?!”
Never a dull day when Bron is in the Garden.
Funnily enough, the same arena was filled with chants of “We want Bronny” when LeBron and Bronny James played here in Lakers gear last season.
Even funnier, it’s just New Yorkers retaliating after being snubbed in the offseason again.
The hostility from the New York faithful arrived just weeks after James publicly acknowledged that he had envisioned joining the Knicks in free agency over the summer.
James and his representative, Rich Paul, admitted that New York was his preferred destination, but the plan was scrapped after the Knicks captured the 2026 NBA championship against San Antonio.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” LeBron stated during Sixers media day and it raised a few eyebrows. “One of the best places I’ve ever played. I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it. Y’all wouldn’t have let me lay that down, at all,” he added.
Brian Windhorst also confirmed LeBron’s fascination with the Knicks was not sudden.
“It was kind of LeBron’s dream, too,” Windhorst said. “Because literally the night before he agreed to his Nike contract… I remember this got wrote about for years that he got like a 20 or 30 percent bonus if he had gone to New York. And they literally agreed to that the night before the lottery. That’s why it was so important to get it done before the lottery, because they wanted to pay him with the possibility that it could be New York just like it could be Memphis or Cleveland. And when the No. 9 opened, there was an audible groan in the room because people wanted the Knicks.”
The feeling was mutual. The Knicks have pursued James every chance they got, both in the 2010 free agency when he picked up the Miami Heat, and in 2018 when he chose the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was on the Knicks’ radar this offseason too, but as James noted, joining the reigning champions would have triggered severe media backlash, ultimately leading him to sign a multi-year deal with Philadelphia instead.
Knicks fans seemingly didn’t take being snubbed a third time with grace. The hostile reception unfolded on an already electric night at the World’s Most Famous Arena, as the Knicks hoisted their 2025–26 championship banner to the rafters in a pregame ceremony.
Prior to the opening tip, James remained in the locker room while Jalen Brunson and the Knicks core received their championship rings.
When action got underway, New York was openly unkind to the visitors, yelling all kinds of chants at Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and James.
The Knicks maintained a narrow edge, holding a 58–54 advantage early in the second half behind a steady offensive rhythm. Through his first 18 minutes of action in a Sixers uniform, James posted five points, four rebounds, and four assists while shooting 2-of-5 from the floor. The second half remains neck-and-neck, with both teams swapping leads.
As the 76ers look to build chemistry and challenge for Eastern Conference dominance, Tuesday’s opening night showed that Knicks fans are content with their championship core, and more than happy to turn away the king one final time.