The majority of the 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule for all 30 teams was released, with opening-week and holiday games, as well as the NBA Cup group schedule, announced earlier. The regular season is set to begin on October 21. This year's schedule highlights the NBA's new broadcast partnerships with NBC/Comcast and Amazon, which join ESPN/ABC in an 11-year pact. ESPN will commence its regular-season coverage on October 22 with the New York Knicks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Opening night on October 21 will feature two marquee matchups. The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder will host Kevin Durant's new team, the Houston Rockets, for a ring ceremony, with the game broadcast on NBC and Peacock. This game is highly anticipated given Durant's history with Oklahoma City and the Rockets' potential as a Western Conference challenger. Following this, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers will host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, also airing on NBC and Peacock. This matchup marks the 56th career head-to-head meeting between James and Curry, offering a significant spotlight early in the season.

Several major return games are scheduled, particularly within a single week in November. On November 24, Kevin Durant will return to Phoenix for the first time as a Houston Rocket, a game shown on NBC. Anthony Davis will make his return to Los Angeles on November 28 as the Dallas Mavericks face the Lakers in an NBA Cup group game, broadcast on Amazon Prime. This return is notable given Davis's shocking trade for Luka Doncic in February. Other significant returns include Myles Turner to Indiana as a Milwaukee Buck on November 3, Brook Lopez to Milwaukee as an LA Clipper on March 29, and Desmond Bane visiting Memphis as an Orlando Magic player on January 18. The Boston Celtics will welcome back two key contributors from their 2023-24 championship team: Jrue Holiday with the Portland Trail Blazers on January 26 and Kristaps Porzingis with the Atlanta Hawks on January 28.

The schedule also features numerous high-stakes rivalries and rematches. The Thunder will face their Western Conference finals opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves, four times, starting November 26. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks will meet on October 24 in an Eastern Conference semifinals rematch, a series that saw the Knicks surprise many last season before Jayson Tatum's injury. Trae Young, a longtime villain at Madison Square Garden, will return to New York on October 25 with the Atlanta Hawks. The defending champion Thunder will also have multiple matchups against Eastern Conference favorites Cleveland and New York later in the season. The Cavaliers will host LeBron James on January 28 in what could be his final game in Cleveland.

The Christmas Day slate on December 25 will feature five exciting games. The Cleveland Cavaliers will visit the New York Knicks (12 p.m. ET), followed by the San Antonio Spurs at the Oklahoma City Thunder (2:30 p.m. ET), Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (5 p.m. ET), Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m. ET), and Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET). LeBron James could make his record-breaking 20th Christmas Day appearance against the Rockets. The Spurs' matchup against the Thunder is a litmus test for San Antonio's rebuild, while the Mavericks-Warriors game will see Cooper Flagg's Christmas debut.

Key superstar and rookie showdowns are also highlighted. The reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder will face three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets four times from February onward, potentially influencing the MVP race. No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg will make his NBA debut against No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama when the Dallas Mavericks play the San Antonio Spurs on October 22. Flagg will also face former Mavs star Luka Doncic for the first time on November 28. Former Rutgers teammates Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper will square off in December when the Utah Jazz play the Spurs. The budding rivalry between Chet Holmgren of the Thunder and Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs continues on December 23, marking their fifth career matchup.

The Emirates NBA Cup, the third edition of the in-season tournament, will begin group play on October 31, with knockout rounds running through December 9-10, semifinals on December 13, and the championship on December 16. The NBA All-Star Game will be held on February 15, 2026, at Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers. Most teams now know 80 of their 82 games, with the preseason beginning September 24 for some teams in Abu Dhabi, Melbourne, and China, and the rest starting September 29.