The wait is finally over! The NBA returns on Tuesday, October 21 with a star-studded two-game slate featuring a quartet of top-tier championship contenders. The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder raise the curtain at 7:30 p.m. ET in a showdown that could double as a Western Conference Final preview.
The spotlight then shifts to the City of Angels, where the Golden State Warriors renew their rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:00 p.m. ET. LeBron James will be sidelined with sciatica, but there still promises to be plenty of intrigue as a newly slimmed down Luka Doncic trades baskets with Steph Curry, the NBA's undisputed 3-point king.
Opening Night always gets lots of attention, but there are many more noteworthy events and deadlines on the NBA schedule that deserve just as much fanfare. Here are a dozen more can’t-miss dates that every NBA fan should circle on their calendar.
2025-26 NBA key dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Opening Night | October 21 |
| NBA Cup Group Play tips off | October 31 |
| Mexico City Game: Pistons vs. Mavericks | November 1 |
| NBA Cup Championship Game | December 16 |
| Christmas Day Showcase | December 25 |
| NBA Berlin Games: Magic vs. Grizzlies | January 15 |
| NBA London Games: Magic vs. Grizzlies | January 18 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 19 |
| NBA Rivals Week | January 20-24 |
| NBA Trade Deadline | February 5 |
| NBA All-Star Weekend | February 13-15 |
| HBCU Classic - Hampton University vs. North Carolina A&T | February 13 |
| NBA Playoffs begin | April 14 |
| 2026 NBA Finals begin | June 4 |
October 31, 2025: NBA Cup Group Play tips off
The NBA Cup has been a phenomenal success in its first two years, injecting high-stakes drama into an otherwise ho-hum part of the schedule. This year's 30-team competition will culminate in a Final Four in Las Vegas on December 13, with players vying for glory and a tidy $500,000 paycheck.
November 1, 2025: NBA Mexico City Game
The NBA will celebrate the 33rd anniversary of its Mexico City Game with a high octane showdown between the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks. Cade Cunningham averaged 37.5 points per game in two meetings with the Mavs last year, and will continue to be the focal point of Detroit's offense.
The game is scheduled for the fabled Day of the Dead, thereby giving us the coolest court in NBA history:
Aura 🌟💀🏀#NBAMéxicoCityGame2025 🇲🇽#NBA 😎🏆 pic.twitter.com/pTjgG6LKTv
— Martín Avilés (@martin_aviles) October 15, 2025
December 16, 2025: NBA Cup Championship Game
Vegas, baby! The Lakers' home away from home will host the NBA Cup Championship Game for the third consecutive season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (+410) and New York Knicks (+550) have the shortest NBA Cup odds, but it remains to be seen whether both clubs will turn on the jets early in the season, or wisely save themselves for a deep playoff run in June.
December 25, 2025: NBA Christmas Day Showcase
Christmas Day is the most wonderful time of the year for basketball fans as the NBA rolls out five marquee matchups. Even if you don’t like hoops, it’s an excellent excuse to get away from your overbearing in-laws for an hour or two.
This year's yuletide schedule features a who's-who of former MVPs including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic, all of whom will surely be on Santa's nice list.
| Time | Matchup | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 p.m. ET |  Cleveland Cavaliers vs.  New York Knicks |
ESPN, ABC |
| 2:30 p.m. ET |  San Antonio Spurs vs.  Oklahoma City Thunder |
ESPN, ABC |
| 5:00 p.m. ET |  Dallas Mavericks vs.  Golden State Warriors |
ESPN, ABC |
| 8:00 p.m. ET |  Houston Rockets vs.  Los Angeles Lakers |
ESPN, ABC |
| 10:30 p.m. ET |  Minnesota Timberwolves vs.  Denver Nuggets |
ESPN, ABC |
January 15, 2026: NBA Berlin Games
"Bear City" will get a taste of NBA basketball in January when the Orlando Magic face the Memphis Grizzlies. The game will be a very special homecoming for Moritz Wagner and Franz Wagner, both of whom were born in Berlin and played in Germany's elite Basketball Bundesliga before taking their talents to the U.S.
German fans will also be eager to cheer on Magic forward Tristan da Silva, a Munich native who has starred alongside the Brothers Wagner on his country's national team.
January 18, 2026: NBA London Games
The NBA's European vacation continues three days later in jolly ol' England, with the Magic squaring off against the Grizzlies at The 02. Expect to hear plenty of chatter about overseas expansion as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is actively laying the groundwork for a 16-team league on the continent. Play could begin as early as 2027, with teams rumored to be priced at a cool $500 million each.
January 19, 2026: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become a cornerstone of the NBA calendar, pairing a slate of nationally televised, marquee matchups with league-wide reflection on Dr. King’s legacy of justice and equality. Pregame tributes, video packages, player messages, and moments of silence honor his work, and organizations use the platform to promote service, civic engagement, and conversations about civil rights.
This year's marquee MLK Day games include Oklahoma City vs. Cleveland, Dallas vs. New York, and Miami vs. Golden State.
January 20-24, 2026: NBA Rivals Week
The NBA is a league built on rivalries: Celtics vs. Lakers; Knicks vs. Heat; Draymond Green vs. Steven Adams' crotch. The Association will be making the most of these classic clashes with a spicy 11-game slate culminating in a tripleheader on ABC on January 24.
February 5, 2026: NBA Trade Deadline
The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline resulted in a flurry of high profile deals, but none were bigger than Luka Doncic heading to the Lakers for a package involving Anthony Davis. It was a trade that no one, including the players involved, saw coming and it instantly shifted the landscape of the league. L.A. landed a franchise star for the next decade while Mavs GM Nico Harrison got... a cubic ton of hate mail.
Plenty of other deals followed in the next 72 hours with established All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, De'Aaron Fox, Khris Middleton, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandon Ingram changing zip codes.
Expect even more fireworks this February with Anfernee Simons, C.J. McCollum, and Nikola Vucevic among a host of likely trade candidates.
Feb 13-15, 2026: NBA All-Star Festivities
The NBA All-Star Game will return to sunny California for the second straight year when the Clippers host the NBA's midseason classic at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome.
The hometown Clips are likely to be well represented in the weekend's many festivities. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac will all merit All-Star consideration, while new acquisition Bradley Beal is widely expected to participate in the 3-point contest... providing he can stay healthy for more than three games at a time.
This year's event will also feature the return of the HBCU Classic, with Hampton University facing off against North Carolina A&T on Friday evening.
The @_HamptonU and @ncatsuaggies Men’s Basketball teams are headed to #NBAAllStar 2026 in Los Angeles to compete for the #NBAHBCUClassic crown!
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) October 1, 2025
The conversation continues during @CAABasketball Media Day, presented by @TheFieldOf68, on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Who are you rooting for? pic.twitter.com/SkX4Fuw1p6
April 14, 2026: NBA Playoffs begin
The regular season is fun, but nothing compares to the sheer intensity of the playoffs. Buckle up as the best of the best blaze a path to glory.
June 4, 2026: NBA Finals begin
The NBA’s annual title series tips off on June 4, but the big question is, who will be playing? The defending champion Thunder opened with +250 NBA championship odds after dispatching the Pacers in seven games. Bookmakers believe they could face the New York Knicks, who opened with the shortest odds in the Eastern Conference at +750.
The Knicks rounded out their bench in the offseason with the acquisition of veteran guards Malcolm Brogdon and Jordan Clarkson, but their biggest move was bidding adieu to Tom Thibodeau and welcoming in Mike Brown. The former NBA Coach of the Year is expected to bring a more high tempo offense that emphases pace and easy open court looks for the team's many talented wings.
