As the NBA offseason draws to a close, the focus of the upcoming season is now in full view, which means all the attention will be on the 2024-25 calendar. We know the key dates for the upcoming season and the NBA Cup. The league’s full regular season schedule will be officially unveiled on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
The marquee matchups will be highlighted as 1,200 games will be announced. Only 80 of each team’s 82 games will be announced as the final two will be determined by each team’s performance in group play of the NBA Cup.
NBA schedule release
Date: Thursday, Aug. 15
Time: 3 p.m ET
TV channel: ESPN2
We also already know many broad strokes of how the rest of the NBA calendar will shape up. Opening night of the 2024-25 season will be Oct. 22, with matchups like Celtics vs. Knicks and Lakers vs. Timberwolves slotted for the first slate of games. NBA Cup group stage action is set to start on Nov. 12 and will continue every Tuesday and Friday through Dec. 3. The semifinals and championship game for the NBA Cup will be on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.
Some key dates have already been released or reported, with the Christmas Day games featuring matchups against the Lakers and Warriors, Mavericks and Timberwolves, Spurs and Knicks, 76ers and Celtics and Nuggets and Suns.
Important transactional dates have already been announced, like the trade deadline on Feb. 6 and the playoffs beginning on April 19. Until the rest of the regular season schedule is released, here are the key dates to remember for the 2024-25 NBA season.
- Sept. 24: Media day for Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets
- Sept. 25: First day of training camp for Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets
- Sept. 30: Media days for the remaining 28 teams
- Oct. 1: First day of training camp for remaining 28 teams
- Oct. 4 & 6: NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 (Boston Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets)
- Oct. 6: NBA Canada Series (Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards)
- Oct. 12-13: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend
- Oct. 18: Preseason concludes
- Oct. 22: Opening night of the 2024-25 regular season
- Nov. 2: NBA Mexico City Game (Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards)
- Nov. 12: Emirates NBA Cup Group Stage begins
- Dec. 3: Emirates NBA Cup Group Stage concludes
- Dec. 10-11: Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals
- Dec. 14: Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals
- Dec. 17: Emirates NBA Cup Championship
- Dec. 25: Christmas Day
- Jan. 23 & 25: NBA Paris Games (San Antonio Spurs vs. Indiana Pacers)
- Feb. 6: NBA Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
- Feb. 14-16: NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco
- April 13: NBA regular season ends
- April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
- April 19: NBA Playoffs begin
