The National Basketball Association (NBA) has officially revealed the full schedule for the 2025–26 season, which promises to be a global basketball event. The new season will start on Tuesday, October 21, with a doubleheader that hasn’t been revealed yet. The reigning champs will play against a top-market team.
Teams will take part in a number of global preseason activities before the regular season starts. The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers will play at the Etihad Arena on October 2 and 4 as part of the Abu Dhabi Games. The New Orleans Pelicans will play NBL teams in the Melbourne Series on October 3 and 5. The Denver Nuggets will play the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver on October 6 as part of the NBA Canada Series. The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will play in Macau on October 10 and 12 as part of the China Games.
The Emirates NBA Cup, which everyone is looking forward to, is also coming back for its second year. The competition will start with group play from October 31 to November 28. The knockout rounds will start with the quarterfinals on December 9 and 10, and then the semifinals will be on December 13. The title game will be held in Las Vegas on December 16. You can watch all of the tournament games live on Prime Video.
The league’s foreign presence will continue during the regular season, with several games taking place outside the United States. The Detroit Pistons and the Dallas Mavericks will play in Mexico City on November 1. The NBA will go to Europe in 2026. On January 15, the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies will play a regular-season game in Berlin. This will be the first time the league has ever hosted a regular-season game in Germany. The two sides will play again in London on January 18.
Other important dates for the 2025–26 NBA season are:
Overseas teams start training camps on September 24, and all other teams start on September 29.
The NBA trade deadline is February 5, 2026.
Los Angeles, CA will host the NBA All-Star Weekend from February 13 to 15, 2026.
The regular season ends on April 12, 2026.
The playoffs start in the middle of April 2026.
Basketball fans all around the world are looking forward to the new season, which will be a big deal. The NBA Cup is coming back, and there will be more foreign games, which will make the regular season and playoffs even more exciting.