LeBron James Opens Season 24 With Philadelphia 76ers

LeBron James begins a new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers.

On October 20, when LeBron James steps onto the floor in Madison Square Garden for the start of his 24th season, he will be wearing a Philadelphia 76ers jersey and not the purple and gold jersey he wore there for the past eight seasons as a Laker.

James signed with Philadelphia this offseason as a free agent and has signed a two-year deal with them, in addition to signing with the Philadelphia team to add Jaylen Brown in a trade from Boston.

His first game as a 76er will see him face off against last season's defending NBA champions, the New York Knicks. Opening night will feature three games including Boston-Detroit and Oklahoma City-San Antonio.

The Knicks will hoist their first championship flag in more than half a century prior to the game starting.

LeBron James Begins 24th Season With Philadelphia 76ers

James is now 42 years old. He is the all-time leader in points and games played in NBA history and this is his 24th season, having debuted as an 18-year-old with Cleveland in 2003.

LeBron James’ Impressive Madison Square Garden Record

LeBron James has produced several memorable performances at Madison Square Garden.

James' statistics in the garden are impressive, with 33 career games there, his teams have a 24-9 record and he averages 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game there.

James once called Madison Square Garden 'the Mecca of basketball' and back in 2015 said he would play all 82 regular season games there if he could.

James' best game there was February 4, 2009, where he dropped 52 points in a 107-102 victory while playing for Cleveland at the age of 24.

LeBron James during his Cleveland Cavaliers years at Madison Square Garden.

It was originally counted as a triple-double before the league changed the rebound total the following day. It was two nights after Kobe Bryant set the record there by scoring 61 points.

His only playoff experience there was in 2012, where Miami defeated the Knicks in five games.

From Cleveland to Philadelphia: LeBron James’ NBA Journey

The real story is not just one arena but the fact that a player who entered the league during the Bush era has joined yet another new franchise in the midst of what has been a decades-long career.