2026–27 NBA season

2026–27 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
Duration
  • October 20, 2026 – April 11, 2027
  • October 30 – December 11, 2026
    (NBA Cup)
  • April 13–16, 2027
    (Play-in tournament)
  • April–May 2027 (Playoffs)
  • June 2027 (Finals)
Games82
Teams30
TV partner(s)ESPN/ABC, NBC/NBCSN, NBA TV
Streaming partner(s)ESPN app/Disney+, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video
Draft
Top draft pickAJ Dybantsa
Picked byWashington Wizards
Regular season
NBA Cup
Playoffs
Finals

The 2026–27 NBA season is the upcoming 81st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season is scheduled to run from October 20, 2026, to April 11, 2027. The fourth edition of the in-season NBA Cup tournament is planned to run from October 30 to December 11, 2026. The 2027 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for February 21, 2027, at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The play-in tournament is then planned for April 13–16, following with the playoffs, and ending with the NBA Finals in June.[1]

Transactions

Retirements

Draft

The 2026 NBA draft took place on June 23–24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[5]

Free agency

Free agency negotiations began on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. Players may be signed after the July moratorium on July 6 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Coaching changes

Coaching changes
Team2025–26 season2026–27 season
Off-season
Chicago BullsBilly DonovanTiago Splitter
Dallas MavericksJason KiddDusty May
Milwaukee BucksDoc RiversTaylor Jenkins
New Orleans PelicansJames Borrego (interim)Jamahl Mosley
Orlando MagicJamahl MosleySean Sweeney
Portland Trail BlazersTiago Splitter (interim)Micah Nori

Off-season

Preseason

In addition to regular preseason games hosted at NBA teams' own arenas, the NBA often hosts neutral site preseason games (either in domestic non-NBA markets or foreign markets) or against non-NBA teams. Listed below are only those neutral site or preseason games.

Domestic neutral site games

Date Teams Arena Location Reference
October 3 Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors Centre Vidéotron Quebec City, Quebec
October 4 Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets CU Events Center Boulder, Colorado
October 6 New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder BOK Center Tulsa, Oklahoma
October 7 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Indiana Pacers Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa
October 10 Los Angeles Clippers vs. Toronto Raptors Rogers Arena Vancouver, British Columbia
October 13 Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers T-Mobile Arena Paradise, Nevada

International games

Date Teams Arena Location Reference
October 9 Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks Venetian Arena Macau, China [16]
October 11 Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets

Regular season

The NBA released the regular-season schedule on August 13, with select games announced in advance of the full schedule release.[17]

International games

The NBA plans to hold regular-season games in 2027 at Accor Arena in Paris, France on January 14 and at Co-op Live in Manchester, United Kingdom on January 17 between the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans.[18]

Date Teams Arena Location Reference Winner
NBA Mexico City Game 2026
November 7 Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers Mexico City Arena Mexico City, Mexico TBD
NBA Paris Game 2027
January 14 New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Accor Arena Paris, France TBD
NBA Manchester Game 2027
January 17 San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans Co-op Live Manchester, United Kingdom TBD

NBA Cup

The NBA Cup is expected to have the same basic structure as previous seasons:[19]

  • All games except the championship final count towards the regular-season standings.
  • Six intraconference pools of five (three pools per conference).
  • Group games against each of the other teams in their pool (two at home and two on the road) will be held on Fridays and other select days in November.
  • The winners of each pool (three teams per conference) and two wild-card teams (one team per conference) advance to a single-elimination tournament in early December.
  • To compensate, only 80 regular-season games for each team is initially announced during the offseason. The first two rounds of the tournament count as regular-season games 81 and 82. The championship game is an extra 83rd game that does not count toward the regular season. Teams that do not qualify for knockout round or is eliminated in the quarterfinals will be scheduled additional games against other teams eliminated in the same conference (if possible) and round to reach 82 games.
  • The semifinals will move to the home arenas of the higher-seeded teams in each conference.
  • The championship game for this edition will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of a new vision to host the game at more distinct and iconic basketball arenas. It will replace T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, which hosted the championship game during the first three editions of the Cup.[20][21]

Uniform and logo changes

  • The Houston Rockets unveiled new uniforms resembling the "ketchup and mustard" look that was used during their back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. The "R" logo remains as the team's primary mark, but with an added yellow accent to reflect its reintroduction into the Rockets' color scheme.[22]
  • The Minnesota Timberwolves unveiled a new logo and uniforms. The new logo resembles their previous mark introduced in 2017, but using a color scheme similar to the one used from the franchise's inception in 1989 until 1996. The Icon and Association uniforms also resemble the original look of the Timberwolves while the Statement uniform resembles their black uniforms from the Kevin Garnett era.[23]

Media

Television

National

This will be the second season of 11-year deals with the ESPN family of networks, NBC Sports, Amazon Prime Video and NBA TV.[24][25]

Linear television
  • ESPN continues to primarily carry Wednesday night regular-season games and the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, along with producing NBA Saturday Primetime and NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC, the slate of five ESPN/ABC simulcasts on Christmas Day, and the primetime doubleheader on the final night of the regular season. Games only on ESPN will continue to be non-exclusive and co-exist with the teams' regional broadcasts.[26][27][28]
    • ESPN schedule also includes a Thursday doubleheader on opening week, an NBA Cup group stage tripleheader on November 25, select Friday night games between January and March, a Saturday late-night West Coast game on March 13, and a Sunday afternoon doubleheader on Easter Sunday March 28.[29][28]
    • This season's NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC is scheduled for seven select weeks between December and March, including a quadruple header on January 30. This season's NBA Sunday Showcase will only be doubleheaders on three consecutive weekends in late February and March. This is partly due to ABC carrying the Super Bowl LXI in mid February, airing the NFL's championship game for the first time since 2006, among other commitments.[29][28] This will also be the first time since 2007 that ABC will have an NBA doubleheader before the network's coverage of the Academy Awards.[30]
    • On the final day of the regular season, April 11, two games with playoff implications will be flexed into ESPN's primetime doubleheader.[28]
  • NBC continues to have opening night games, Coast 2 Coast Tuesday doubleheaders, late-season Sunday Night Basketball, Martin Luther King Jr. Day games, and the NBA All-Star Game.[31][32]
    • This season's opening night NBA Tip-Off expands to a tripleheader for the first time. Like the previous season, the Coast 2 Coast Tuesday doubleheader format will then air during most weeks of the regular season, with NBC affiliates having the option to show the 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT game, the 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT contest, or both Tuesday games at their discretion.[32]
    • On November 24, NBC will have an NBA Cup group stage national, standard doubleheader, with 8 and 10 p.m. ET windows instead of the Coast 2 Coast Tuesdays format. NBC will also have Holiday Hoops national, standard doubleheaders on December 22, 28 and 29, with 8 and 10:30 p.m. ET windows.[32]
    • Sunday Night Basketball expands into January this season with two singleheaders airing opposite the NFL playoffs. The remaining schedule between February and April will all be doubleheaders.[29][32]
    • Daytime tripleheaders are scheduled on NBC this season on both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.[29][32]
    • NBCSN will serve as an overflow channel for NBC, as well as simulcasting Peacock's Monday and other telecasts. Telemundo has Spanish-language broadcasts of 10 Sunday Night Basketball games and the All-Star Game.[32]
  • NBA TV will continue to televise select games throughout the regular season when the other broadcasters are not airing games, simulcast from regional broadcasters.[33]
Streaming
  • Amazon Prime Video continues to have Friday night doubleheaders throughout most of the regular season (including most NBA Cup group stage nights, one of those is a doubleheader to lead out its Black Friday Football game on November 27), late-season Thursday night games, and late-season Saturday afternoon games, as well as the entire knockout round of the NBA Cup and both European Global games. As Christmas Day lands on a Friday in 2026, Prime Video will instead have its doubleheader for that week on Wednesday, December 23. Prime Video's Thursday schedule this season begins with a New Year's Eve afternoon game as a lead in to the Thursday Night Football finale. Thursday night doubleheaders are then primarily scheduled between January and April, with the January 14 Paris Global game instead serving as an afternoon singleheader. Saturday afternoon games (mostly doubleheaders) then run on select weeks in February and March.[26][34][35]
  • The ESPN app's Unlimited plan will stream all ESPN-produced games. The ESPN app's lower Select plan or Disney+ may also stream select games.[27]
  • Peacock will simulcast all games aired by the NBC broadcast network, including both Coast 2 Coast Tuesday games nationwide. Peacock will also have Monday night games throughout most of the regular season (with one to two games per week, except December 28 which airs on the NBC broadcast network), including night games on both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.[32]
  • The league-owned NBA League Pass will continue to offer out-of-market games, and live access to NBA TV.
Postseason

Amazon Prime Video will stream all play-in tournament games. The first two playoff rounds will then be split between Amazon Prime Video, ESPN/ABC and NBC/Peacock. Amazon Prime Video will have between nine and 17 first-round games, and between five and nine second-round games. ESPN and ABC will air approximately 18 games in the first two rounds. NBC and/or Peacock will air between 15 and 23 first-round games, and between seven and 11 second-round games, with at least half of all of them airing on NBC.[36]

Per a rotation, ESPN/ABC will air a conference final, with this season being the Western Conference Finals, and Amazon Prime Video will exclusively stream the Eastern Conference Finals this season.[37] ABC will have NBA Finals for the 25th consecutive season.[36]

Local

Folding of FanDuel Sports Network

FanDuel Sports Network wound down operations after the 2025–26 season, impacting 13 teams.[38][39] Both DAZN and FuboTV expressed interest in acquiring rights to all or some of these teams,[40][41] although Fubo later pulled its offers as it found that they were not "fiscally prudent".[42]

The following teams have signed agreements to replace their respective FanDuel Sports Network:

Others

The NBA has reportedly explored the possibility of building a "streaming hub" to centralize in-market digital rights in partnership with individual teams, either in lieu of or in partnership with their regional television broadcasters. The exact structure of the proposed service and how it would interact with the current out-of-market NBA League Pass service has not yet been determined, and the league had reportedly been in discussions with Amazon, DAZN, ESPN and YouTube TV.[52][53]

  • In May 2026, Gray Media renewed its contract with the Phoenix Suns through 2030. As part of the agreement, digital rights to the team will also be taken over by Gray, with the company planning to launch an Arizona's Family Sports app.[54][55]
  • In July 2026, DAZN announced an agreement to become the direct-to-consumer platform for MSG Network and YES Network, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets's respective local broadcast partners, replacing the Gotham Sports App.[56]

International

  • In Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland and beginning this season in Canada, Prime Video will stream 20 additional regular-season games, along with the games being already aired in the United States, a conference final and the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years of the deal.[34][57]
  • ESPN will additionally air its slate of games in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and the Netherlands, and will air games through Disney+ in select markets in Asia and Europe.[25]
  • NBC will additionally air its slate of games on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Italy and will distribute games in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.[25]
  • TNT Sports will air games internationally in Poland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Latin America (excluding Brazil and Mexico).[58]
  • NBA TV international will also air games in select countries worldwide.

Radio

National

  • ESPN Radio has rights to select regular-season games, all playoff games and rights to the NBA Finals.[59]
  • This is the seventh season of the league's muti-year deal with SiriusXM and SiriusXM Canada to simulcast all 30 teams' local regular-season and postseason broadcasts.[60]

Notable occurrences

  • The NBA resumed its tradition of not scheduling any games on Election Day in the United States, which falls on November 3 in 2026. The league began this practice for three consecutive years in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to encourage fans to vote, but then held Election Day games on November 4, 2025.[a]

Notes

  1. ↑ Multiple references:[17][61][62][63]

References

  1. ↑ "Key dates for 2026-27 NBA season". NBA. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Garrett Temple: Joins coaching staff in Dallas". CBS Sports. July 4, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Kyle Lowry retires after signing one-day contract with Raptors". ESPN. July 7, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Russell Westbrook retires: His NBA legacy after 18 electric seasons". ESPN. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ "NBA Draft 2026 to take place June 23-24 at Barclays Center". NBA.com. April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Doc Rivers Steps Down As Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach". NBA.com. April 13, 2026. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Chicago Bulls Head Coach Update". NBA.com. April 21, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Taylor Jenkins Named Head Coach Of The Milwaukee Bucks". NBA.com. April 30, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Orlando Magic Dismiss Jamahl Mosley as Head Coach". NBA.com. May 4, 2026. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ "New Orleans Pelicans name Jamahl Mosley head coach". nba.com/pelicans. New Orleans Pelicans. May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Dallas Mavericks and Jason Kidd Mutually Agree to Part Ways". NBA.com. Dallas Mavericks. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Orlando Magic Name Sean Sweeney Head Coach". NBA.com. June 1, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Chicago Bulls name Tiago Splitter Head Coach". NBA.com. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Portland Trail Blazers Name Micah Nori Head Coach". NBA.com. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Dallas Mavericks Name Dusty May Head Coach". NBA.com. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Rockets, Mavs to play pair of preseason games in Macao in October". NBA.com. January 5, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "NBA announces schedule for 2026-27 season". NBA. August 13, 2026.
  18. ↑ Sciffer, Alex (July 30, 2025). "NBA Adding European Games As It Explores New League". Front Office Sports.
  19. ↑ "Emirates NBA Cup 101: Rules, format and how it works". NBA.com. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship". NBA.com. June 30, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  21. ↑ Friend, Tom (December 16, 2025). "Leaving Las Vegas? The NBA Cup is taking bids for 2026 final". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Rockets rebrand (2026)". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Inside the Minnesota Timberwolves' All-New Uniforms and Identity". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  24. ↑ Lewis, Jon (July 24, 2024). "NBA announces rights deals with Disney, Comcast, Amazon". Sports Media Watch.
  25. 1 2 3 "NBA signs new 11-year media agreements with the Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video through 2035-36 season". NBA.com. July 24, 2024.
  26. 1 2 "NBA announces schedule for 2026-27 season". NBA. August 13, 2026.
  27. 1 2 Rajan, Ronce (July 24, 2024). "The Walt Disney Company and ESPN Reach Landmark 11-Year Media Rights Extension with the National Basketball Association and the Women's National Basketball Association". ESPN Press Room (Press release).
  28. 1 2 3 4 Rajan, Ronce (August 13, 2026). "ESPN & ABC's star-studded 2026-27 NBA regular season broadcast schedule". ESPN Press Room (Press release).
  29. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Jon (August 13, 2026). "NBA adds more broadcast TV games in second year of rights deal". Sports Media Watch.
  30. ↑ Lewis, Jon. "NBA adds more broadcast TV games in second year of rights deal". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved August 24, 2026. After going dark on Oscars Sunday for most of the past two decades, ABC is set to air a doubleheader on that day — March 14 — for the first time since 2007, albeit in a special early time. Knicks-Celtics is set for Noon and Spurs-Thunder for 2:30.
  31. ↑ "THE NBA AND WNBA RETURN TO NBCUNIVERSAL WITH 11-YEAR AGREEMENT FOR REGULAR SEASON AND PLAYOFF BASKETBALL ON NBC, PEACOCK, USA NETWORK, SKY SPORTS, AND TELEMUNDO". NBC Sports (Press release). July 24, 2024.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCES ITS COMPLETE 2026-27 NBA REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE, FEATURING 100 GAMES ACROSS NBC, PEACOCK, AND NBCSN". NBC Sports (Press release). August 13, 2026.
  33. ↑ Lewis, Jon (September 3, 2025). "New NBA media rights deal will be a "learning curve" for fans". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  34. 1 2 "Amazon Prime Video and the NBA Announce Landmark 11-Year Global Media Rights Agreement Beginning in 2025". Amazon MGM Studios (Press release). July 24, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Prime Video Announces 2026–27 NBA on Prime Schedule". Amazon MGM Studios (Press release). August 13, 2026.
  36. 1 2 Karangu, Jessie (September 2024). "Breaking down unsealed details of NBA's new deals with NBC, Amazon". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Prime Video Announces 2026-27 NBA on Prime Schedule". Prime Video Press. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  38. ↑ Ourand, John (February 3, 2026). "Requiem for an R.S.N. Dream". Puck. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  39. ↑ Zdinjak, Nina (February 6, 2026). "Major sports TV network shuts down, leaves fans scrambling". TheStreet.com. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  40. ↑ Lerner, Drew (May 3, 2026). "DAZN confirms intentions to become NBA local broadcast hub, continues to court former FanDuel teams". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  41. ↑ Friend, Tom (May 4, 2026). "Sources: Fubo makes surprise pitch to the 13 NBA teams that fled Main Street". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  42. ↑ Friend, Tom (May 13, 2026). "Fubo pulls its offers to NBA teams as local TV options dwindle". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  43. ↑ Lerner, Drew (May 13, 2026). "Scripps strikes local broadcast deal with Detroit Pistons". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  44. ↑ "More of what you need to know about Heat's move to WPLG. And World Cup TV primer". Miami Herald. June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  45. ↑ Lerner, Drew (June 8, 2026). "Miami Heat strike over-the-air deal with WPLG for local broadcasts". Awful Announcing. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Milwaukee Bucks To Return To Full-Season Over-The-Air Television For First Time In 31 Years". NBA.com. July 10, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  47. ↑ Lerner, Drew (July 16, 2026). "Atlanta Hawks reach over-the-air deal with Gray Media for local broadcasts". Awful Announcing. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Minnesota Timberwolves and DAZN Launch New Direct-to-Fan Streaming Offering". NBA.com. July 30, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  49. ↑ "WSOC Channel 9 & TV64 Named The New Home For Charlotte Hornets Basketball For The 2026-27 Season". NBA.com. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Orlando Magic Names Cox Media Group for Magic Television Broadcasts for 2026-27". NBA.com. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Indiana Pacers announce DAZN as new exclusive broadcast partner, including 22 free regular season games". NBA.com. August 20, 2026. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  52. ↑ Friend, Tom (March 5, 2026). "Sources: NBA exploring national broadcast hub as soon as next season". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  53. ↑ Lerner, Drew (March 5, 2026). "NBA 'in talks' with YouTube TV, Amazon, ESPN, DAZN to become local broadcast hub next season". Awful Announcing. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  54. ↑ Lerner, Drew (May 20, 2026). "Phoenix Suns, Mercury extend local broadcast deal with Gray Media". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  55. ↑ Friend, Tom (May 21, 2026). "Suns and Mercury extend OTA deals with Gray, sending message to the industry". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  56. ↑ Karp, Austin (July 29, 2026). "DAZN lands digital rights to MSG, YES networks; close to deals with seven other NBA teams". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Prime Video to bring NBA games to Canadian basketball fans starting in 2026". CA-EN About Amazon. October 27, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Warner Bros. Discovery and the National Basketball Association Reach Agreement to Expand Long-Standing Partnership". TNT Sports. November 18, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  59. ↑ "ESPN Audio Fact Sheet". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  60. ↑ Weinstein, Brad (January 8, 2021). "SiriusXM and NBA expand agreement to offer fans with streaming subscriptions access to NBA live-game audio". NBA.com: NBA Communications. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  61. ↑ "NBA unveils schedule for 2024-25 season". NBA. August 20, 2024. For the third consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day
  62. ↑ "NBA avoids scheduling regular-season games on Election Day". Associated Press. August 16, 2022. Archived from the original on February 14, 2026 – via ESPN.
  63. ↑ "NBA releases 2025-26 schedule, all teams getting at least two national TV games". Associated Press. August 14, 2025 – via Fox Sports.
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