NBA Jumpstarts 2024-25: Tip-Off, Xmas, MLK Jr., Play-In, Post-Season Schedule

By Barry Janoff

August 15, 2024: The calendar might read August, but the NBA is thinking October, December, April and June.

The NBA today released its complete game schedule as well as broadcast schedules for ESPN, ABC, NBA TV and TNT Sports for the 2024-25 regular season.

With new $76 billion media deals scheduled to start for the 2025-26 season, this will be the last time TNT Sports, whose pact with the league was not renewed after this coming season, is included in the mix.

The 79th NBA regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 22 and conclude April 13, 2025. 

The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament 2025 is scheduled for April 15-18. The NBA Playoffs 2025 presented by Google Pixel are scheudled to begin April 19.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV is scheduled for June 5.

The NBA this week also released its complete game and national TV schedule for Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup 2024. Games will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays Nov. 12-Dec. 3.

TNT and ESPN will combine to air 14 games, NBA TV will televise three games in this first stage.

The semifinals and championship will be held in Las Vegas, Dec. 14 and Dec. 17, respectively.

The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games, along with two games designated as “TBD dates and opponents.”

Those two games for each team, to be played Dec. 10-16, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the Emirates NBA Cup 2024.

The regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 22 with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will receive their championship rings and unveil their record 18th championship banner before hosting the New York Knicks.

ESPN’s coverage begins with doubleheader on Oct. 23.

NBA TV will begin its live game coverage of the new season with three games on Oct. 26.

For the third consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5 as the league will “continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process.”

As part of this initiative, the NBA said it would “share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.”

The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day for the 17th consecutive year, with ESPN platforms airing them all.

The NBA on Christmas Day begins with the Knicks hosting the San Antonio Spurs (Noon ET).

The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Dallas Mavericks, to air on both ABC and ESPN (2:30 PM ET).

ABC and ESPN will also air the next two games: the Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers (5 PM ET) and the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Golden State Warriors (8 PM ET).

The Christmas Day schedule will conclude on ESPN when the Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets (10:30 PM ET).

On Monday, Jan. 20, the NBA family will celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with three nationally televised games.

Dallas will visit the Charlotte Hornets on NBA TV (Noon ET).

In a TNT doubleheader, the Memphis Grizzlies will host Minnesota (2:30 PM ET) and Boston will travel to Golden State (5 PM ET).

The third annual NBA Rivals Week in January will be the focus of ten nationally televised games across four networks — TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV — Jan. 21-25.

NBA TV will televise both The NBA Mexico City Game 2024 between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards Nov. 2 (9:30 PM ET) and the opener of The NBA Paris Games 2025 between the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Jan. 23 (2 PM ET).

The Pacers and Spurs will also meet Jan. 25 in their second and final game in Paris, airing on ESPN (Noon ET).

The NBA All-Star Game 2025, is scheduled for Feb. 16 in Chase Center, San Francisco on TNT.

TNT Sports will exclusively air the Eastern Conference Final for the last time. The Western Conference Finals 2025 will be exclusively televised by ESPN and ABC.

The NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV will exclusively air on ABC.

See the full schedule here.

NBA $76B ESPN, NBC, Prime Video Media Deal

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