The NBA's 81st season begins Tuesday with three games, highlighted by LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers visiting Jalen Brunson and the defending champion New York Knicks, the Associated Press and the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The Knicks will receive their championship rings and raise a banner at Madison Square Garden before the game, the AP reported. The Knicks became the NBA's eighth different champion in eight years, a run unmatched in league history, the AP reported. No team has repeated as champion in nearly a decade, the AP reported.

The Knicks-76ers game tips off at 7 PM and airs on NBC and Peacock, the Inquirer reported. The opening schedule also includes the Detroit Pistons against the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a rematch of the Western Conference finals, according to NBA.com.

James, who left the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, is starting a record 24th season, according to NBA.com. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league waited to see where James would sign before finalizing the schedule, the Inquirer reported.

The 76ers also added Jaylen Brown this offseason, the AP and the Inquirer reported. "It's hard to know, until we get there," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Monday of what to expect, according to the Inquirer. "We're excited, but we also know we got to get better," Brown said, the Inquirer reported.

It was a busy offseason across the league, the AP reported. Giannis Antetokounmpo moved to Miami and Kawhi Leonard returned to Toronto, the AP reported. The Spurs and Thunder share the role of title favorites, the AP reported.

"The way we won was just because of how connected we were as a group. We've got to keep that," Brunson said, according to the AP.

What we know: The season opens Tuesday with a ring ceremony for the Knicks and James's first game with the 76ers.
What we don't: How the 76ers' new lineup will fit together in games that count.