Guides

Evergreen NBA guides covering schedules, key dates, league rules, contracts, playoffs and practical answers to common fan questions.

NBA MVP Winners: Complete History, Records and Voting Trends

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NBA MVP history timeline from 1955-56 through SGA's back-to-back awards

The NBA Most Valuable Player award has tracked the league’s changing definition of greatness since Bob Pettit won the inaugural honor in 1955-56. It has rewarded dominant centers, transformational guards, statistical outliers and the central figures on championship contenders. It has also produced debates that outlive the seasons in which the votes were cast. Shai … Read more

Everything to Know About the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup: Groups, Schedule and Key Dates

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NBA Emirate CUP 2027

With training camps set to open later this month, it is worth a reminder that the 2026-27 season carries its own midseason tournament again this year. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into six groups of five, split by conference, based on each team’s record from the 2025-26 regular season.

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Your Complete Guide to the 2026-27 NBA Season: Camp, Opening Night, Trade Deadline and Playoff Dates

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The offseason is winding down. With training camps opening in a matter of weeks, here is the full calendar for the 2026-27 NBA season, from the first practice to the final day of the regular season.

Training camp and preseason International players report Sept. 21. Veteran players report Sept. 28, and all 30 training camps open leaguewide Sept. 29. Preseason games begin Oct. 3.

Opening night: Oct. 20 The regular season tips off with three games on NBC and Peacock: Boston at Detroit at 3 p.m. ET, Philadelphia at New York, and Oklahoma City at San Antonio at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Second Apron, Explained: How the NBA’s Hardest Cap Line Is Reshaping 2026-27

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant with money falling in the background

The second apron is the reason NBA front offices talk about roster building differently than they did five years ago, and this week’s Clippers penalties are a reminder of just how seriously the league now treats the line separating contenders from restricted teams.

For 2026-27, the NBA’s salary cap is set at $165 million, with a salary floor of $149 million. Above that sits the luxury tax threshold at $201 million, the first tax apron at $209 million and the second tax apron at $222 million.

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NBA 2026-27 Season Key Dates: Opening Night, Christmas Games and More to Know Before Camp

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NBA 2026-27 Season Schedule: Key Dates Guide

The NBA’s 2026-27 regular season opens Tuesday, Oct. 20, with an NBC/Peacock tripleheader: Boston at Detroit (3 p.m. ET), Philadelphia at the New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET), and Oklahoma City at San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET). Christmas Day, Dec. 25, features five games on ABC/ESPN: Knicks-Spurs at Madison Square Garden (noon ET), Heat-Celtics (2:30 p.m. ET), 76ers at Lakers (5 p.m. ET), Thunder at Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET), and Nuggets at Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET).

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NBA Season Start 2026: Key Dates for the 2026-27 Season

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2026-27-nba-season-key-dates-guide

The 2026-27 NBA regular season starts Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Training camps open Sept. 22-29, preseason games begin Oct. 3, and the calendar runs through Christmas Day, the Feb. 11 trade deadline, All-Star Weekend and the April play-in tournament before the playoffs. Every confirmed date is below, along with the handful of dates the league has not announced yet.