Knicks raise their first championship banner since 1973 on Tuesday as LeBron's 76ers visit the Garden

For the first time in 53 years, a championship banner is going up at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks open their title defense on Tuesday, Oct. 20, against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers, and they will raise their 2025-26 NBA championship banner before the 7 p.m. tip, SNY reported when the schedule came out.

The night will be part of NBC's season-opening tripleheader. NBC Sports says its pregame show will move from Rockefeller Plaza to the Garden for an extended broadcast that starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and includes the banner raising and ring ceremony, with Commissioner Adam Silver handing rings to Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and his teammates, according to NBC Sports and the network's press release.

What's on the court

The Knicks bring back the same starting lineup that beat the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals: Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, SNY noted. Philadelphia remade its roster over the summer, signing James and trading for Jaylen Brown, who both make their 76ers debuts on Tuesday alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.

After the opener, the Knicks visit the Boston Celtics, and former Knick Mitchell Robinson, on Oct. 23. They also host the Spurs in a Finals rematch on Christmas Day at noon, according to SNY.

Fans adjust to being champions

The title ended a drought that dated to 1973. In Game 4 of the Finals, the Knicks completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, and they closed out the series in Game 5, Gothamist recalled in a story on fans getting used to cheering for the defending champs. Crowds poured into the streets around the Garden after the clincher, and the team held a ticker-tape parade on June 7.

Fans told Gothamist they are optimistic but wary, pointing to owner James Dolan's spending, the departure of Robinson and reports that Towns' contract talks with the team have stalled. Getting into the building on Tuesday won't be cheap: the lowest resale price for opening night on StubHub was just over $1,000 late this week, Gothamist reported.