NBA Schedule Release Shows LeBron James Still Rules the League

Now that the NBA has released its opening day matchups, fans are beginning to chirp.

The Philadelphia 76ers will face off against the NBA champions, the New York Knicks. 

There has always been some excitement surrounding the 76ers, but this year is a bit different.  The addition of superstar wing player Jaylen Brown has the fans in an uproar, but the one that has the entire association on edge is the signing of 22-time all-star forward LeBron James.

All this excitement proves that James is still the face of the NBA. Let’s face it, who do you know could hold up the release date of the schedule the way James did? NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced he wouldn’t be sharing the schedule until James decided where he wanted to play. Once he chose the 76ers, all the ducks fell in their row.

This bodes well for Philadelphia, as they‘ll get more exposure nationwide. The 76ers will play on opening day as well as Christmas. Those are some of the biggest television dates for the NBA. This means that this will build the revenue for the organization as well as the city. With James' arrival, it has already increased ticket prices. The economic impact is sure to bring money to a big-name city for the NBA.

Now for some of the bad news, with James still being the star of the NBA, that means more eyes and more criticism from the fans as well as the media. This could create a lot of tension for the team.  Players like Joel Embiid, Brown, and James are used to this kind of stuff, but it’s uncharted territory for Edgcombe and some of the bench. 

If the team has a significant losing streak, it’ll be plastered on every media outlet that this team doesn’t have what it takes. It’s nothing new for an NBA team to fight through adversity, but they’re going to hear it from not only the analysts but also soon it’ll be the fans. It’s going to be a trying season that will require Jaames’s experience to help the players push through it. 

James being the face of the association is very telling considering there are some promising young stars in the league. Guards Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgerious Alexander, and center Victor Webanyama could all overtake James for face of the NBA. But, as long as 'The King' is still on the throne, the association goes as far as he can take them.