Overview
- The league said Oct. 20 will open the 2026-27 season with an NBC/Peacock tripleheader that begins at 3 p.m. ET with the Boston Celtics at the Detroit Pistons, continues with the Philadelphia 76ers at the New York Knicks at 7 p.m., and ends with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m.
- LeBron James will make his 76ers debut at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20 and will return to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Christmas Day as part of a five-game ABC/ESPN Christmas slate.
- The NBA presented the games as a ‘sneak peek’ and said it will announce the NBA Cup schedule on Wednesday and publish the full regular-season schedule on Thursday to finalize dates and broadcast windows.
- The partial release also names international regular-season games, including Denver vs. Indiana in Mexico City on Nov. 7 and San Antonio vs. New Orleans in Paris on Jan. 14 and Manchester on Jan. 17.
- Commissioner Adam Silver said LeBron’s late free-agent decision delayed the marquee scheduling, a dynamic that led broadcasters to lock flagship windows around the star and could shape future choices if the 3 p.m. weekday opener draws strong viewership.