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3d ago

NBA Unveils 247 National Games for 2025-26 Season Under New Media-Rights Deal

Debuting NBCUniversal with Peacock alongside Amazon Prime, the league’s schedule enforces no-play rules before marquee windows to enhance player rest

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Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Mike Tirico, left, broadcast the game between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers with NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Overview

  • The season will include 247 nationally televised games across ABC, ESPN, NBC with Peacock streaming and Amazon Prime, marking the first year of the NBA’s expanded five-network media-rights agreement.
  • The NBA codified no-play rules before key national windows—including opening week, the Emirates NBA Cup, Christmas Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and weekend ABC/ESPN/Peacock slates—to safeguard player rest and spotlight premium matchups.
  • Average back-to-back games drop to 14.4 per franchise, with none exceeding 16 sequences, as part of the new scheduling protections.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks lead the national broadcast slate with 34 games apiece, while several teams, including the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, have as few as two appearances.
  • Opening night on October 21, 2025, will see the Thunder raise their championship banner at Paycom Center before hosting Kevin Durant’s Rockets, kicking off a slate designed to front-load marquee matchups.