NBA schedule release: 10 key dates to circle for 2026-27 season from big returns to rivalries renewed
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- The 2026-27 NBA season tips off Oct. 20 with three opening-night games: Celtics at Pistons (3 p.m. ET), 76ers at the reigning champion Knicks (7 p.m.), and Spurs at Thunder (9:30 p.m.)
- The Knicks will raise their first championship banner since 1973 at Madison Square Garden on opening night before facing the 76ers, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown making their Sixers debuts
- LeBron James returns to face the Lakers — and his son Bronny — on Christmas Day in his only L.A. game, with additional stops in Cleveland (Nov. 6) and Miami (Jan. 30)
- Jaylen Brown, traded from the Celtics to the 76ers for Paul George and draft picks in a deal he did not request, returns to TD Garden on Jan. 21
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, now on the Heat after his Milwaukee trade saga, debuts Oct. 21 and returns to the Fiserv Forum on Jan. 28
- The NBA Cup final moves to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11, and the Christmas Day slate includes a Knicks-Spurs Finals rematch plus Heat-Celtics, Thunder-Timberwolves, and Nuggets-Warriors
- Kawhi Leonard's status for the Nov. 2 Raptors-Clippers game remains uncertain amid an ongoing NBA investigation into cap circumvention that has been expanded to include other questionable dealings involving the star
Why it matters: The 2026-27 schedule's marquee dates only locked in once LeBron's free agency resolved with his Philadelphia move, and the 76ers are 'strongly featured' as a result. Beyond opening night, Jaylen Brown's Jan. 21 return to Boston comes after a rare trade he didn't request, and Kawhi Leonard's uniform for Nov. 2 remains unknown.
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