NBA schedule 2025-26: What to know about national TV games, other key matchups
Starting with opening night on NBC on Oct. 21, followed by two nights of games on ESPN and then a Friday night on Amazon Prime, marquee players, fascinating matchups and championship contenders will be featured on the NBA's national TV schedule, which was released Thursday, Aug. 14.
NBC rejoins coverage of the league after a two-decade absence, and Amazon Prime gets its first shot at NBA games as part of the NBA's new, 11-year, $76 billion TV deal. ESPN/ABC remains part of the league's coverage as well.
Here are unique details of the NBA's 2025-26 schedule:
What to know about the 2025-26 NBA schedule
This season, there are 247 national TV games, up from 172 in 2024-25.
As part of the new TV deal, in general, Monday NBA games are on Peacock; Tuesday on NBC; Wednesday on ESPN; Thursday on Prime Video; Friday on Prime Video and ESPN; Saturday on Prime Video in the afternoon and ABC at night; and Sunday on ABC in the afternoon and NBC at night.
ESPN and ABC also have the five Christmas games plus the NBA Finals.
Prime Video will feature doubleheaders on Fridays and stream the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the NBA Cup and all six play-in games.
NBC and Peacock kick off the season with two games on Oct. 21 and will air the four Martin Luther King Jr. Day games. NBC and Peacock are also home to NBA All-Star Weekend events, including All-Star Saturday night and the All-Star Game on Feb. 15.
The NBA will play games on Election Day, Novermber 4, this season – which it did not do in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Each team has at least two national TV games with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors appearing on 34 national TV games.
The average number of back-to-back games for each team is 14.4, a tad down from 14.9 back-to-backs per team in 2024-25. No team has more than 16 back-to-backs, and a team will play never play the day before games during opening-week national TV games; all Emirates NBA Cup games; all Christmas games; the four-game Peacock/NBC schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the 10-game ABC Saturday schedule and eight-game ABC Sunday schedule; and the 11-game NBC Sunday schedule.
The NBA plans to launch a digital feature that will make it easier for fans to watch and stream games through NBA.com, the NBA app, team platforms and partner sites.
Making a return
Offseason moves once again altered the NBA landscape. Here are a few notable players who will visit their former team for the first time in 2025-26:
Must-see NBA games in 2025-26
The 1,230-game schedule from Oct. 21 through April 12 is loaded with quality games. We take a look at the 25 games you can't miss, including Houston at Oklahoma City on opening night and the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State in the final week of the regular season. Click here to read the full analysis of must-see games.
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
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