Rookie Wire took a look at the key dates and other important events throughout the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The NBA last week unveiled the complete game and broadcast schedule for the 2025-26 regular season, which tips off with a doubleheader on Oct. 21.
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will receive their rings before hosting the Houston Rockets in the first game of opening night at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The Golden State Warriors will visit the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game at 10 p.m.
The regular-season schedule included 80 defined dates and opponents. The remaining two games will be played Dec. 10-16 and will be determined at a later date based on the results of the group stage of the in-season tournament.
The league is set to welcome new broadcast partners, with Amazon (Prime) and NBCUniversal (NBC, Peacock) joining Disney (ABC, ESPN) in televising 247 total games next season. Every team is currently slated to have at least two nationally-televised games.
Fans can unlock direct access to their favorite teams and players with NBA League Pass, which will continue to offer live, out-of-market games through various platforms, including NBA.com, the NBA app, Prime TV and other providers.
The upcoming season has several important dates and events to monitor throughout the year. Rookie Wire took a look at the notable dates to keep an eye on.
NBA Media Day*
Date: Sept. 29
*Teams traveling outside of North America for the preseason host media day on Sept. 23: Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns
Start of Training Camp
Date: Sept. 30
Start of NBA Regular Season
Date: Oct. 21
Start of In-Season Tournament
Date: Oct. 31
In-Season Tournament Championship
Date: Dec. 16
Trade Deadline
Date: Feb. 5 (3 p.m. EST)
NBA All-Star Weekend
Date: Feb. 13-15
End of Regular Season
Date: April 12
Play-In Tournament
Date: April 14-17
Start of Playoffs
Date: April 18
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: NBA key dates: Trade deadline, All-Star Game, other events for 2025-26
Category: Basketball
