On Thursday, the NBA released its full schedule, including over 250 on national networks ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT.
Starting with ABC and ESPN, the Disney networks’ season begins on Wednesday, October 25 with an ESPN doubleheader of Celtics-Knicks and Mavericks-Spurs, featuring the regular season debut of Victor Wembanyama. ESPN also has a doubleheader two days later on Friday, October 27, airing Heat-Celtics and Warriors-Kings.
ESPN and ABC also have a full slate of games on Christmas Day, falling on a Monday this year. The schedule starts with Bucks-Knicks at noon on ESPN. It continues with Warriors-Nuggets at 2:30 p.m. and Celtics-Lakers at 5 p.m, with each game airing on both ABC and ESPN. ESPN closes the evening with two more games – 76ers-Heat at 8 p.m., and Mavericks-Suns at 10:30 p.m. The Christmas Day games will be going up against an NFL tripleheader, with the nightcap, Ravens-49ers, airing on ABC.
ABC’s Saturday primetime schedule begins on January 27 with a tripleheader, featuring Heat-Knicks at 3 p.m., 76ers-Nuggets at 5:30 p.m., and Lakers-Warriors at 8:30 p.m. The schedule continues with one game each Saturday night (aside from February 17) through March 16.
The ABC Sunday Showcase begins its seven-game schedule on February 11 with Celtics-Heat. Three doubleheaders follow every other week on February 25, March 3, and March 17.
ESPN will air doubleheaders throughout the season on Wednesdays and Fridays.
ESPN will also air the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Eastern Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals.
For the full NBA on ESPN and ABC schedule, click here.
TNT’s schedule begins on Opening Night, Tuesday, October 24, with a doubleheader featuring Lakers-Nuggets and Suns-Warriors. TNT continues to air doubleheaders throughout the season on Tuesday and Thursday.
A Martin Luther King Jr. Day doubleheader will also air on TNT Monday, January 15. The early game is Spurs-Hawks at 3:30 p.m., and the late game is Warriors-Grizzlies at 6 p.m.
TNT will also air the NBA All-Star Game and the Western Conference Finals.
ESPN and TNT will both air several group-stage games from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, which we wrote about earlier this week.
For the full NBA on TNT schedule, click here.
NBA TV’s season begins on Saturday, October 28 with a doubleheader featuring Knicks-Leicans and Jazz-Suns. The network will also air a pair of international games – Hawks-Magic from Mexico City on Thursday, November 9, and Nets-Cavaliers from Paris on Thursday, January 11.
The network also bookends TNT’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day doubleheader with two games of its own. Rockets-76ers airs at 1 p.m. and Thunder-Lakers airs at 10:30 p.m.
The Center Court franchise also returns to NBA TV this season. Five matchups have been announced: Warriors-Pelicans on October 30, Lakers-Heat on November 6, Lakers-Spurs on December 13, Celtics-Kings on December 20, and Warriors-Grizzlies on February 2.
For the full NBA TV schedule, click here.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.