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.
At-a-glance: every confirmed 2026-27 NBA key date
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Training camp opens (overseas preseason teams) | Sept. 22, 2026 |
| Training camp opens (rest of league) | Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Preseason begins | Oct. 3, 2026 |
| Opening Night / regular season begins | Oct. 20, 2026 |
| Emirates NBA Cup Group Play | Oct. 30-Nov. 27, 2026 |
| Emirates NBA Cup championship | Dec. 11, 2026 |
| Christmas Day games | Dec. 25, 2026 |
| Trade deadline | Feb. 11, 2027 |
| All-Star Weekend | Feb. 19-21, 2027 |
| Regular season ends | April 11, 2027 |
| Play-in tournament | April 13-16, 2027 |
| Playoffs and NBA Finals | Not yet announced |
Training camp reporting and opening dates
The NBA released its official 2026-27 regular-season schedule on Aug. 13, 2026, giving fans a full calendar to plan around from training camp through the playoffs. Camps are set to open Sept. 22 for teams playing preseason games overseas, with the rest of the league following on Sept. 29. Players participating in overseas preseason games may report beginning Sept. 21, with those camps opening Sept. 22. All other veteran players may report beginning Sept. 28, before the remaining camps open Sept. 29. That one-week split is standard practice for teams with international preseason commitments, not a sign that some franchises are behind schedule.
Preseason
Preseason games begin Oct. 3. Preseason is when teams evaluate roster battles, get returning players back up to game speed and install new schemes before the games start counting. The league has not published a specific preseason end date; that detail will be added here once the NBA releases it.
Regular-season Opening Night
The 2026-27 regular season, including Opening Night, tips off Oct. 20, when the Knicks will raise their 2026 championship banner at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks beat the Spurs in five games to win that title, their first since 1973. Opening Night’s NBC/Peacock broadcast features three games: Boston at Detroit (3 p.m. ET), Philadelphia at the Knicks (7 p.m. ET) and San Antonio at Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. ET). No games are scheduled for Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Emirates NBA Cup Group Play and championship
The Emirates NBA Cup returns with Group Play running from Oct. 30 through Nov. 27, 2026. The competition tips off on Prime Video. Group Play games count toward regular-season records while also determining which teams advance to the knockout rounds. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 4-5, followed by semifinals on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9. The championship game is scheduled for Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Christmas Day schedule
The NBA’s Christmas Day slate is Dec. 25, 2026, with five games on ABC/ESPN: San Antonio at New York (noon ET), Miami at Boston (2:30 p.m. ET), Philadelphia at the LA Lakers (5 p.m. ET), Oklahoma City at Minnesota (8 p.m. ET), and Denver at Golden State (10:30 p.m. ET).
NBA international games
The NBA’s global slate includes three games outside the United States this season: the Denver Nuggets face the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City on Nov. 7, 2026, at Arena CDMX. The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans then play in Europe twice: in Paris on Jan. 14, 2027, at Accor Arena, and in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17, 2027, at Co-op Live.
2027 trade deadline
The trade deadline for the 2026-27 season is Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027, eight days before All-Star Weekend begins. Teams cannot trade players after the deadline. They can still complete other permitted roster moves, including eligible free-agent signings and waiver transactions.
2027 All-Star Weekend
All-Star Weekend follows on Feb. 19-21, 2027, in Phoenix. The league’s All-Star break runs longer than the weekend itself, from Feb. 19-24, 2027.
Regular-season end
The regular season wraps up Sunday, April 11, 2027, when all 30 teams are scheduled to play on the same day to close out the schedule. For fans planning around the calendar, the throughline is this: camp and preseason arrive in the back half of September, the games that count begin Oct. 20, the Cup adds a made-for-TV, mid-season stakes window in November and December, and the regular season runs almost exactly six months before flipping into the postseason in mid-April.
Play-in tournament window
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament is set for April 13-16, 2027, determining the final two playoff seeds in each conference.
What playoff and Finals dates remain unannounced
The league has not yet released the specific bracket dates for the 2027 playoffs and NBA Finals that follow the play-in tournament. Those dates are typically announced closer to the end of the regular season, once seeding and matchups are closer to being set. This page will be updated with the full playoff bracket schedule as soon as the NBA releases it.
Frequently asked questions
When does the NBA season start in 2026?
The 2026-27 NBA regular season starts Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, with the Knicks raising their 2026 championship banner at Madison Square Garden before tipping off their title defense.
When does NBA preseason start in 2026?
NBA preseason games begin Oct. 3, 2026, about two and a half weeks before the regular season tips off on Oct. 20.
When does NBA training camp start in 2026?
Training camp opens Sept. 22, 2026 for teams playing preseason games overseas, and Sept. 29, 2026 for the rest of the league.
What are the key dates for the 2026-27 NBA season?
The full run is training camp (Sept. 22-29), preseason (starting Oct. 3), Opening Night (Oct. 20), the Emirates NBA Cup (group play Oct. 30 through Nov. 27, 2026, championship Dec. 11), Christmas Day (Dec. 25), the trade deadline (Feb. 11, 2027), All-Star Weekend (Feb. 19-21, 2027), the end of the regular season (April 11, 2027) and the play-in tournament (April 13-16, 2027). Playoff and Finals dates have not yet been announced; check the at-a-glance table above for the full list in one place, and check back here once the NBA sets the postseason bracket.
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