Defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder get the new campaign up and running by hosting the Houston Rockets.
When does the NBA 2025-26 season start? Key dates and biggest games of the season
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the euphoria of June’s NBA final triumph against the Indiana Pacers is now well and truly over as Mark Daigneault limber up for the new campaign and the defence of their title.
Replicating, or surpassing last season’s heroics won’t be easy. The 2024/25 regular season was the Thunder’s best in franchise history, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Co. ended the regular season with a record 68 wins.
Two games on the opening night of the NBA 2025/26 regular season
As the defending champions, Oklahoma City will get the new 2025/26 campaign, which is the 80th NBA regular season underway, facing the Houston Rockets at the Paycom Center on October 21 with the game tipping off at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Later that day, the Los Angeles are scheduled to take on the Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. EST) the cap off a double header on the opening night. Both games will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock.
OKC, the Lakers, the Warriors and the Knicks all have 34 games set for broadcast on national TV during the regular season, as part of the league’s new partnership deal with Amazon.
Among the other key dates in the 2025/26 season include the NBA Emirates Cup - the group stage starts October 31 and runs through to November 28; the knockout rounds begin on December 9-10 with the final set for December 16 in Las Vegas.
There will be plenty of action on Christmas Day with five games scheduled, starting with Cavs at Knicks at midday.
The NBA All Star weekend has been booked in for February 13-15 in Los Angeles. The regular season concludes on April 12 with the postseason starting two days later with the Play-In, followed by the playoffs which run from April 18 to May. The 2026 NBA finals will start on June 4.
Key NBA dates in 2025/26:
- Oct. 2-4: 2025 Preseason: NBA Abu Dhabi Games | Knicks vs. 76ers | Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
- Oct. 3 & 5: 2025 Preseason: Melbourne Series | Pelicans vs. NBL teams | Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
- Oct. 6: 2025 Preseason: 2025 NBA Canada Series | Nuggets vs. Raptors | Rogers Arena, Vancouver, B.C.
- Oct. 10 & 12: 2025 Preseason: NBA China Games | Nets vs. Suns | The Venetian Arena, Macao
- Oct. 17: NBA Preseason ends
- Oct. 20: Rosters set for NBA Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
- Oct. 20: NBA Jersey Day
- Oct. 21: Start of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season – Opening Night (7:30 p.m. ET: Rockets at Thunder | 10 p.m. ET: Warriors at Lakers)
- Oct. 31: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Group Play tips off on Prime
- Nov. 1: NBA Mexico City Game 2025 – Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico
- Nov. 28: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Group Play concludes
- Dec. 9-10: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Knockout Rounds (Quarterfinals) on Prime
- Dec. 13: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Semifinals (Las Vegas, NV) on Prime
- Dec. 16: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Championship (Las Vegas, NV) on Prime
- Dec. 25: Christmas Day (12 p.m. ET: Cavs at Knicks | 2:30 p.m. ET: Spurs at Thunder | 5 p.m. ET: Mavs at Warriors | 8 p.m. ET: Rockets at Lakers | 10:30 p.m. ET: Wolves at Nuggets) — Games broadcast on ABC and ESPN
- Jan. 5: 10-day contracts may now be signed
- Jan. 10: All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
- Jan. 15: NBA Berlin Games 2026 – Magic vs. Grizzlies (Berlin, Uber Arena)
- Jan. 18: NBA London Games 2026 – Magic vs. Grizzlies (London, The O2)
- Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1 p.m. ET: Bucks at Hawks | 2:30 p.m. ET: Thunder at Cavs | 5 p.m. ET: Mavs at Knicks | 8 p.m. ET: Celtics at Pistons)
- Jan. 20-24: NBA Rivals Week
- Feb. 5: NBA Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
- Feb. 13-15: 2026 NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, CA
- Feb. 13: 2026 NBA HBCU Classic – Hampton University vs. North Carolina A&T at Kia Forum, Inglewood
- March 1: Playoff eligibility waiver deadline
- April 12: Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
- April 13: Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
- April 14-18: Play-in tournament
- April 18 – May: Playoffs
- June 4, 2026: NBA finals
How to watch
2025/26 regular season games
The NBA announced the full 2025/26 fixtures calendar: game schedule and broadcast/streaming schedules back on August 14.
Viewers in the United States will be able to watch games on Disney (ABC/ESPN/ESPN Radio), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video).
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