Amanda Knapp
The 2025-26 NBA season is well underway, with the NBA preseason beginning on September 24 and the regular season starting on October 22. This comes after the suspension of the 2019-2020 NBA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the cancellation of games and a massive financial loss for the league. The upcoming season promises to be exciting, with nearly 200 men's and women's college basketball games streaming exclusively on Peacock from the Big 12, Big Ten, and BIG EAST conferences. The NBA G League draft took place on October 26, 2025, with rosters set for the NBA G League Opening Day on November 7.
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What You'll Learn
The 2025-26 NBA season
The season will see the return of the NBA Cup, with group play games taking place between October 31 and November 28, and the knockout rounds following in December. The NBA Mexico City Game will also be returning, with the Detroit Pistons taking on the Dallas Mavericks on November 1. The NBA London Games will see the Magic go up against the Grizzlies on January 18, 2026.
There have been some major trades and moves during the offseason, with Kevin Durant joining the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster trade. The Phoenix Suns will also have a new head coach, Jordan Ott, after firing their previous coach, Mike Budenholzer. The Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and New York Knicks have also hired new head coaches.
The preseason will see some teams travelling outside of North America, with the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Phoenix Suns playing preseason games in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Australia, and China. The regular season will feature an 82-game schedule for each team, with the top players and teams looking to secure their spot in the playoffs and ultimately, the NBA Finals.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be held on February 15, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, with the regular season concluding on April 12, 2026. The playoffs will begin shortly after, leading up to the highly anticipated NBA Finals.
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The 2024-25 NBA season
On October 22, 2024, the Boston Celtics tied the record for the most three-pointers made in a single game with 29 in a win over the New York Knicks. The same day, LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant for the most field goals missed in NBA history. On October 25, James became the first to record a triple-double in his 22nd season, and on October 26, he became the oldest player, at 39 years old, to lead both teams in points, rebounds, and assists in a game. On October 28, Kevin Durant became the eighth player to score 29,000 points.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 16, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco. The play-in tournament was played from April 15 to 18, 2025, followed by the playoffs the next day. The finals, played on June 22, 2025, saw the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Finals MVP. This was the first game 7 in the finals since 2016 and the first since 2006 in which both teams were vying for their first NBA title. The Thunder also became the fourth team in NBA history to win 84 games or better in a single season, including playoff victories.
The NBA Cup, formerly the In-season tournament, returned for the 2024–25 season, with the same structure: all games except the championship final counted toward the regular-season standings. Six intraconference pools of five (three pools per conference) competed on Tuesdays and Fridays between November 12 and December 3. These games counted as regular-season games. The winners of each pool (three teams per conference) and two wild-card teams (one team per conference) advanced to a single-elimination tournament. The semifinals and championship game were again played in Las Vegas.
ESPN aired NBA games primarily on Wednesday and Friday nights, with a limited selection of games on other days. On the final day of the regular season, ESPN aired an afternoon doubleheader featuring two games with playoff implications. ABC aired NBA Saturday Primetime games on eight Saturdays between December and March and NBA Sunday Showcase games on five Sunday afternoons in February and March. ESPN also had exclusive coverage of NBA games on Christmas Day, simulcasting all five games with ABC. During the NBA Cup, ESPN aired group stage matches as part of its Friday night coverage, along with one quarterfinal.
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The suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season
On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the suspension of the 2019–20 season following Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19. The suspension came just as COVID-19 lockdowns began in the United States and Canada. The NBA had been closely tracking the COVID-19 pandemic and was in communication with public health authorities such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
The decision to suspend the season was made during the Jazz–Thunder game in Oklahoma City. After the announcement, players warming up were told to return to their locker rooms, and the referees and broadcasters were informed. Attendees were then asked to leave the arena and were assured that they were "all safe". This interruption to the NBA season was the biggest since the 2011 NBA lockout.
The following day, on March 12, the National Hockey League (NHL) also suspended their 2019–20 season. The NHL stated that they had been "attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities" and were preparing for potential developments without taking any premature actions. The suspension of the NBA and NHL seasons resulted in significant financial losses and impacted the livelihoods of many workers in the sports industry.
On June 4, 2020, the NBA approved a plan to resume the 2019–20 season. The season resumed on July 30 with 22 teams playing at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the NBA bubble. The teams were subject to strict social restrictions and their movement was limited to the bubble. The NBA draft, originally scheduled for October 15, was rescheduled to November 18.
Unfortunately, on August 26, 2020, the NBA season was suspended for a second time due to a wildcat strike during the playoffs. Despite these interruptions, the 2019-20 NBA season was still considered entertaining and memorable by many fans and commentators.
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The 2025-26 College Basketball Season
One of the early highlights of the season will be the Boise MTE on November 26 and 28, featuring teams from the Big West, Big Sky, and CUSA conferences. The American University MTE will also take place from November 28 to 30, with American University hosting Longwood, Maine, and Siena. The Cathedral of College Basketball Classic will be held in Philadelphia on the same dates, with four teams competing.
The 2025-26 season will also see some conference realignment, with Seattle joining the WCC and Oregon State and Washington State moving to the Pac-12. The University of New Haven will begin its transition from Division II to Division I, marking a significant change for the Chargers. Additionally, Delaware and Missouri State will join Conference USA and begin playing FBS football.
On the court, Houston is already the favorite to win it all, with three top-20 prospects joining the team. Purdue is also expected to have a strong season, with a preseason Wooden Award favorite and two All-Americans on their roster. Auburn and Gonzaga will look to rebuild after losing key players, while Florida looks to rebound from an incredible season with a new-look lineup.
The NBA's 2025-26 season will also feature some notable dates, including the FIBA Eurobasket tournament from August 27 to September 14 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend on September 5-6. The regular season is set to begin on October 22, with all 30 teams in action by November 4.
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The 2024-25 College Basketball Season
One of the early highlights of the season was Oakland coach Greg Kampe becoming the winningest coach in conference games in Horizon history on February 23. Kampe surpassed Perry Watson with 132 wins after a 91-86 victory over Cleveland State.
Kansas City also made history on November 18 by defeating Calvary 119-19, setting records for the most lopsided win and fewest points allowed. This win marked their second victory by 85 or more points in a single season, a first for a Division I men's team.
Temple became the sixth college basketball program to earn 2,000 all-time wins on December 18, with a narrow 62-61 victory over Davidson. Syracuse joined this elite group on January 7, becoming the seventh program to reach the milestone with a 62-55 win against Georgia Tech.
The season also saw several coaching milestones. On January 11, Kansas coach Bill Self won his 600th career game, defeating Cincinnati 54-40. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl became the school's leader in all-time wins, with 228 wins after defeating South Carolina 66-63.
The 2024-25 season also marked the final year for six schools in their respective conferences. Georgia Southern left the Hanner Fieldhouse after 55 seasons, moving to the new Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center. Bellarmine also announced the return of home games to their campus at Knights Hall.
The regular season concluded with the NCAA tournament, which began on March 18 and culminated in the championship game on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the 2025-26 NBA season is not cancelled. The season is set to begin on October 22, 2025.
Yes, the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended on March 11, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA had initially planned to resume the season in June 2020, but it was forced to cancel the rest of the season on June 4.
The 2024-25 NBA season has not been cancelled. The season is scheduled to start on November 2, 2024, with a game between the Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards in Mexico City.
The college basketball offseason is a busy period, with coaching changes, recruiting wins, and player movements. The 2025-26 college basketball season is expected to feature almost 200 men's and women's games streaming exclusively on Peacock from the Big 12, Big Ten, BIG EAST, and more.
