NBA releases 2026-27 schedule with notable opening games and LeBron James move to Philadelphia

The National Basketball Association announced the complete 2026-27 regular-season schedule, which will run from Oct. 20 to Apr. 11. Opening night will see the defending champion New York Knicks host LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, while the league’s first regular-season game will be played that afternoon between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.

Training camps begin on Sept. 22 for teams with overseas preseason games and on Sept. 29 for the others, with preseason matchups starting Oct. 3. No games are slated for the Nov. 3 Election Day. The NBA Cup championship is set for Dec. 11 in Indianapolis, and international showcase games will be held in Paris on Jan. 14 and Manchester on Jan. 17, both featuring the San Antonio Spurs against the New Orleans Pelicans.

LeBron James confirmed his free-agency move to the 76ers, a decision that influenced the schedule. "Where LeBron plays will affect the schedule," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. The Sixers received the league-maximum 34 national-television games and will have fewer back-to-back contests, which could help manage the workloads of James (who will be 42) and Joel Embiid.

The schedule also marks a shift in conference dynamics, with several high-profile players now on Eastern teams, giving the East a deeper talent pool than in recent decades. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks, after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, will appear in only two nationally televised games, the fewest in the league.

"I have an almost 22-year-old son who is now my former teammate, which is hilarious," James said about his son Bronny, who will face him in the Christmas Day matchup.

"I pulled my daughter aside and told her I won’t be playing for the Lakers next year," James added, describing his family discussion.

The league hopes the afternoon opening game will attract European viewers, though it may inconvenience some domestic fans who work during that time.