The 80th Season of the National Basketball Association
The 2025–26 NBA season is a landmark moment in professional basketball history. Marking the league’s 80th anniversary season, this campaign began in October 2025 and will conclude with the crowning of a new champion in June 2026. Across nearly nine months of competition, 30 teams are locked in a battle for the most coveted prize in basketball — the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
One of the most common questions from fans — both new and returning — is: when does the NBA season start and end in 2026? The short answer is that the 2025–26 NBA regular season started on October 21, 2025, and ends on April 12, 2026, with the NBA Finals scheduled to conclude by June 19, 2026. But the full picture is much richer than those two dates alone, and this guide covers every phase of the season in detail.
Stay up to date with every event in Los Angeles by checking out the official NBA All-Star Weekend schedule 2026.
For fans, the NBA season is not just a single event — it is a long, unfolding story told across hundreds of games, featuring superstar performances, shocking trades, record-breaking nights, coaching controversies, and underdog runs. The 2025–26 edition has delivered on every front. From one of the most stunning trades in league history to a pair of surprising conference leaders, this season has kept fans on the edge of their seats from the very first tip-off.
Whether you are a longtime basketball devotee or someone just beginning to follow the NBA, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the complete timeline of the 2025–26 season — from training camp through the NBA Finals — along with current standings, major storylines, broadcast information, and everything else you need to follow the action.
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Key Dates at a Glance
Here is a quick overview of all the major dates When does the NBA season start and end in 2026:
| EVENT | DATE |
| Training Camps Open | September 29, 2025 |
| Preseason Begins | October 2, 2025 |
| Regular Season Begins | October 21, 2025 |
| NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) | Oct 31 – Dec 16, 2025 |
| Christmas Day Games | December 25, 2025 |
| NBA All-Star Game 2026 | February 15, 2026 |
| Regular Season Ends | April 12, 2026 |
| Play-In Tournament | April 14–17, 2026 |
| NBA Playoffs Begin | April 18, 2026 |
| NBA Finals Begin | June 3, 2026 |
| NBA Finals Game 7 (if needed) | June 19, 2026 |
The Regular Season: October 21, 2025 – April 12, 2026
The 2025–26 NBA regular season officially tipped off on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The opening night featured the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets in the first game of the season — a rematch of sorts after OKC’s title run the previous year. The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers completed the Opening Night doubleheader broadcast on national television.
The regular season consists of 82 games for each of the 30 NBA teams — 41 home games and 41 road games spread across approximately six months. Every team plays every other team at least twice, and divisional and conference rivals meet more frequently, which creates natural storylines and rivalries throughout the season.
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The regular season concludes on Sunday, April 12, 2026, with all 30 teams playing on the final day. This final slate of games is one of the most dramatic days in the NBA calendar, as playoff seedings, play-in positions, and draft lottery spots are all determined simultaneously. Eastern Conference games tip off at 1 p.m. ET, while Western Conference and cross-conference matchups begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.
As of early March 2026, the Oklahoma City Thunder (50–15) lead the Western Conference and are the best team in the NBA, while the San Antonio Spurs (47–17) and Detroit Pistons (45–18) are among the other elite teams this season. The Eastern Conference race has been especially competitive, with Boston, New York, Detroit, and Cleveland all vying for the top seeds.
Preseason and Training Camps
Before the regular season begins, NBA teams open training camps on September 29, 2025. This is when rosters are evaluated, new systems are installed, and players recover their fitness after the offseason. Training camp is particularly important for teams that made significant changes in the summer — through trades, free agency signings, or the NBA Draft.
The NBA preseason began on October 2, 2025, with some teams traveling internationally for global showcase games. The Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Abu Dhabi for the NBA Abu Dhabi Games on October 2 and 4, while the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns visited Melbourne, Australia, for the Melbourne Series on October 3 and 5. These international games are part of the NBA’s ongoing effort to grow the sport globally.
Preseason games do not count toward the regular season standings but serve as a vital opportunity for coaches to experiment with lineups and for young players to prove themselves. By the time the regular season tips off in late October, rosters are finalized and teams are ready to compete.
The NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament)
One of the most exciting developments in recent NBA history is the In-Season Tournament, now officially branded as the NBA Cup. The 2025–26 edition was the third year of this competition, and it ran from October 31 through December 16, 2025.
The tournament features all 30 teams divided into six intraconference pools of five teams. Group stage games are played primarily on Fridays between late October and late November, counting toward the regular season standings. The top teams advance to the knockout rounds — quarterfinals (December 9–10), semifinals (December 13), and the championship final (December 16) — all held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the third consecutive year.
This season, the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Cup championship. Players on the winning team each received more than $500,000 in bonus prize money — a significant incentive that has made the tournament increasingly competitive. The championship game did not count toward regular season standings, though all group and knockout stage games did.
All-Star Weekend: February 13–15, 2026
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game was held on February 15, 2026, at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California — home of the LA Clippers. This was the second consecutive year the All-Star Game was hosted in California, and it transformed Los Angeles into the global capital of basketball for an entire weekend.
All-Star Weekend features several signature events beyond the main game. The Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest traditionally take place on Saturday night, drawing massive television audiences and creating iconic moments that fans remember for years. The Rising Stars Challenge, held on Friday evening, showcases the league’s best young players and top rookies.
This year’s event also featured the return of the HBCU Classic, with Hampton University facing North Carolina A&T on Friday evening — a celebration of historically Black colleges and universities and their rich basketball traditions. All-Star Weekend serves as both a celebration of the game’s biggest stars and a midseason reset, with the regular season resuming shortly afterward as teams make their final push toward the playoffs.
The Play-In Tournament: April 14–17, 2026
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament takes place from April 14 to 17, 2026 — the four days immediately following the end of the regular season. Now in its fifth year as a permanent fixture on the NBA calendar, the Play-In Tournament determines the final four playoff berths, two from each conference.
Here is how it works: the teams seeded 7th through 10th in each conference participate. The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed — the winner earns the No. 7 playoff spot, while the loser gets one more chance. The No. 9 seed hosts the No. 10 seed, with the loser eliminated. The winners of these two games then face each other, with the victor taking the No. 8 playoff seed and the loser going home for the summer.
The Play-In Tournament was introduced to reduce “tanking” — the practice of losing games intentionally to secure a higher draft pick — and to keep more teams competing meaningfully deep into the season. It has been a resounding success, producing thrilling single-game stakes and dramatic moments that rival the playoffs themselves.
The NBA Playoffs: April 18 – June 2026
The 2026 NBA Playoffs officially begin on Saturday, April 18, 2026, the day after the Play-In Tournament concludes. A total of 16 teams — eight from each conference — compete in a best-of-seven bracket format across four rounds. Every series is won by the first team to win four games.
First Round — April 18 to May 7, 2026
The first round features all 16 playoff teams in eight simultaneous series. The No. 1 seed plays the winner of the Play-In final (effectively the No. 8 seed), the No. 2 seed plays the winner of the 7-8 game, the No. 3 seed plays the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed plays the No. 5 seed. Home court advantage goes to the higher seed throughout the playoffs.
Conference Semifinals — May 8–23, 2026
The four first-round winners from each conference advance to the Conference Semifinals. By this stage, only the most complete and battle-tested teams remain. The matchups become more competitive, series tend to go longer, and the star players begin to define their legacies.
Conference Finals — May 24 – June 3, 2026
The Conference Finals determine the two teams that will compete for the NBA championship. The Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals run simultaneously, generating massive national and international television audiences. The winners earn the right to represent their conference in the NBA Finals.
NBA Finals — June 3–19, 2026
The NBA Finals 2026, presented by YouTube TV, are scheduled to begin on June 3, 2026, on ABC. Game 1 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Subsequent games are scheduled on June 5 (Game 2), June 8 (Game 3), June 10 (Game 4), June 13 (Game 5, if necessary), June 16 (Game 6, if necessary), and June 19 (Game 7, if necessary). The series will crown the 2026 NBA Champion — the team that wins four games first.
Current Standings (As of March 9, 2026)
With approximately one month left in the regular season, here is how the top seeds look in each conference:
Western Conference Top 5
| Seed | Team | Wins | Losses |
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 50 | 15 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 17 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 24 |
| 4 | Houston Rockets | 39 | 24 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | 39 | 25 |
Eastern Conference Top 5
| Seed | Team | Wins | Losses |
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | 45 | 18 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 43 | 21 |
| 3 | New York Knicks | 41 | 24 |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 39 | 25 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 36 | 27 |
Notable Storylines of the 2025–26 Season
Every NBA season has its defining narratives, and 2025–26 has been no exception. Several major storylines have captured headlines throughout the year:
- The Luka Doncic Trade: One of the most shocking trades in recent memory sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package including Anthony Davis. The move instantly reshuffled the Western Conference landscape and made the Lakers a legitimate championship contender.
- OKC Thunder’s Dominance: The defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, entered the season as the betting favorite to repeat and have backed that up with the league’s best record.
- Detroit Pistons’ Surprise: The Pistons have emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, leading the Eastern Conference with a 45–18 record and generating real buzz about a deep playoff run.
- San Antonio Spurs’ Rise: The Spurs (47–17) have built one of the league’s elite teams around their young core, suggesting a dynasty may be brewing in San Antonio.
- Historic Brothers Trio: The Milwaukee Bucks made history when they signed Alex Antetokounmpo, making Giannis, Thanasis, and Alex the first trio of brothers to appear on the same NBA team’s roster simultaneously.
How to Watch the 2025–26 NBA Season
NBA games are broadcast across a variety of platforms in the When does the NBA season start and end in 2026. ABC and ESPN carry marquee regular season and playoff games, while NBC and Peacock have returned as a broadcast partner after many years away. Amazon Prime Video also carries select games as part of the league’s expanded media rights deal.
NBA League Pass remains the premier subscription service for fans who want to watch every game, offering live and on-demand access to all 30 teams. The NBA App provides real-time scores, highlights, and streaming options for mobile viewers. For radio listeners, ESPN Radio and SiriusXM carry coverage of regular season and playoff games throughout the season.
The NBA Finals in June will be broadcast exclusively on ABC, reaching tens of millions of viewers domestically and hundreds of millions internationally. The 2025–26 season marks the first full year under the league’s new multi-billion dollar media rights agreements, ushering in a new era of NBA broadcasting.
Conclusion
When does the NBA season start and end in 2026, has been one for the record books — a milestone 80th season packed with surprises, dominant performances, and the kind of storylines that will be talked about for years. From the October 21 tip-off through the April 12 end of the regular season, the Play-In Tournament (April 14–17), the playoffs (beginning April 18), and ultimately the NBA Finals (starting June 3), every phase of the season has delivered unforgettable basketball.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs leading the West, and the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics battling in the East, the 2026 playoffs promise to be as competitive and dramatic as any in recent memory. The road to the NBA championship runs through some of the best teams the league has seen in years — and the best is still to come.
Whether you are following the final stretch of the regular season, preparing for playoff season, or simply marking your calendar for the NBA Finals, the 2025–26 season has something for every basketball fan. The game has never been more exciting — and the 80th chapter of the NBA is closing with a bang.
