NBA 2021/22: when does the regular season start?

The NBA returns for its 75th-anniversary season this month, as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks look to defend the championship they won in July’s finals against the Phoenix Suns.

Mike Budenholzer's men secured the 2020/21 NBA title with a 4-2 series win over the Suns, Greek star Antetokounmpo claiming the finals MVP award as Milwaukee lifted the championship trophy for the first time since 1971.

2021/22 NBA season scheduled for 19 October start

The Bucks will kick off the 2021/22 regular season on Tuesday 19 October, hosting the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum at 7:30pm ET, while opening night will also see the Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers, with tip-off scheduled for 10pm ET at Staples Center.

After two seasons of disruption to the schedule as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, normal service will resume in the regular season this year, with each team playing 82 games and the first phase of the NBA campaign running until Sunday 10 April.

2021/22 NBA season: when is the play-in tournament?

First introduced in 2020, the NBA play-in tournament sees the teams finishing seventh to tenth in each conference compete to join the top six in the playoffs, with two of the four qualifying.

In 2021/22, the play-in tournament will take place from Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 April 2022.

2021/22 NBA season: when are the playoffs and finals?

The 2022 NBA playoffs are scheduled to be held from Saturday 16 April to Monday 30 May, before the Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions then face off in the best-of-seven finals, which are slated for Thursday 2 to Sunday 19 June.

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NBA to celebrate 75th anniversary

On Monday 1 November, it will be exactly three quarters of a century since the league’s first ever regular season game, played by the New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies.

To mark the occasion, the Knicks will face the Toronto Raptors that day, and the league has also scheduled a number of other ‘classic matchups’ as part of its ‘NBA 75’ celebrations.

For example, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday 7 January, which will be 50 years to the day since the Lakers beat the Hawks to make it 33 victories in a row - still the longest winning run in NBA history.

The NBA will also commemorate its 75th anniversary by releasing a special, diamond-shaped logo, which will feature on new, league-wide Nike uniforms. The NBA will also name its 75 greatest ever players.