Ayrton Oneill
Basketball is a popular sport with leagues for players of all ages and skill levels. The basketball season typically begins in the winter, with the NBA season starting in October and ending in April. This allows for a full 82-game season, including playoffs. College basketball also starts in early November and ends in early April, with a shorter schedule of 25-35 games per season. The WNBA is an exception, with its season starting in early summer and wrapping up in October. Preseason games for the NBA usually begin in September, with training camps opening earlier in the month. The upcoming 2025-26 NBA season will be the 80th season and is scheduled to begin on October 21, 2025, ending on April 12, 2026.
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What You'll Learn
The NBA season typically runs from October to April
The 2025-26 NBA season, for example, is scheduled to start on October 21, 2025, and end on April 12, 2026. Preseason games for this season are set to begin in late September, with training camps opening on September 24 for teams playing preseason games outside of North America. The regular season schedule is usually released in August.
The NBA season is designed to begin at the start of winter, so athletes have an indoor sport to play during the cold, snowy months. The season usually includes 82 games, with playoffs concluding in June. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019-20 season lasted from October 2019 until October 2020, meaning the season lasted a full year. The 2020-21 season was shorter, with only 72 games played, as the NBA commissioner aimed to return to the normal October-to-April schedule.
The NBA season overlaps with the college basketball season, which typically begins in early November and ends in early April. The WNBA season is the outlier, starting in early summer (May or June) and wrapping up in October.
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College basketball season begins in early November
Basketball is a sport designed to be played indoors during the winter. The NBA regular season usually starts around October and ends in April the following year.
The college basketball season, however, typically begins in early November and ends in early April. For instance, the 2024-25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 4, 2024, and ended on March 16, 2025. The 2025-26 college basketball season is also expected to begin in the first week of November.
The college basketball season is shorter than the NBA season, with college teams playing 25-35 games per season, compared to the NBA's typical 82-game season. The college basketball season can be divided into two main parts. The first part, stretching from early November to the end of December, is the nonconference portion of the season. This is followed by conference play, which begins in January and leads into March Madness, one of the most exciting events on the college basketball calendar.
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The WNBA is the odd one out, with its season starting in May or June
Basketball is a sport designed to be played indoors during the winter months. Most basketball seasons, therefore, start at the beginning of winter. The NBA season, for example, typically starts in October and ends in April the following year. The 2025-26 season will follow this schedule, with the season starting on October 21, 2025, and ending on April 12, 2026.
The college basketball season usually begins in early November and ends in early April. Each team has a much shorter schedule than the NBA, playing only 25-35 games per season.
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The 2025-26 NBA season will be the 80th NBA season
The 2025–26 NBA season will be the 80th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season is scheduled to begin on October 21, 2025, and end on April 12, 2026. The NBA season typically starts around the beginning of winter, and the upcoming season will be no different.
The third edition of the in-season NBA Cup tournament is planned to be held from October 31 through December 16, 2025. The group games will be held primarily on Fridays between October 31 and November 28, with additional games on November 25 and 26. The knockout rounds will take place on December 9 and 10, with the semifinals on December 13 and the championship on December 16.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for February 15, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The play-in tournament is set to take place from April 14 to 17, 2026, followed by the opening of the playoffs the next day. The NBA Finals will start on June 4, with a possible Game 7 scheduled for June 21.
The 2025 NBA draft took place on June 25–26, 2025, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The preseason will feature neutral site games and games against non-NBA teams, with the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 taking place on October 4 and 6, and the NBA Canada Series on October 6. The regular season will feature games aired by ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video, with the NBA Berlin Games and NBA London Games taking place in January 2026.
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The NBA has various international broadcasting deals
Basketball season typically begins around the start of winter. The NBA's 2025-26 season, for example, is scheduled to start on October 21, 2025, and end on April 12, 2026. The NBA has various international broadcasting deals to showcase its games to a global audience. Here are the details of some of these deals:
The Walt Disney Company
Disney, through ABC/ESPN, has the rights to telecast approximately 18 games in the first two rounds each year and one of the two Conference Finals series in 10 of the 11 years of the agreement. ABC will exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals, a role it has held since 2003. Disney will also distribute NBA games on ESPN-branded platforms in several international markets, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and the Netherlands, and via Disney+ in select markets in Asia and Europe.
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal will broadcast at least two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and will air “regional broadcasts” on Tuesdays.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon will distribute NBA games globally as part of Prime Video, with an expanded package of games in select territories, including Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. This package includes a minimum of 20 additional primetime regular-season games each year, a Conference Finals series, and the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years. Amazon will also stream half of all NBA Summer League games and a package of WNBA and NBA G League games.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio has the rights to select regular-season games, all playoff games, and the NBA Finals.
SiriusXM and SiriusXM Canada
The NBA has a multi-year deal with SiriusXM and SiriusXM Canada to simulcast all 30 teams' local regular-season and postseason broadcasts.
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Frequently asked questions
The basketball season typically starts around the beginning of winter. For the NBA, the regular season usually runs from October to April, with preseason games beginning in September. The college basketball season generally begins in early November and ends in early April.
Basketball was designed to be played indoors during the cold, snowy months of winter. James Naismith, the inventor of the sport, intended for it to be an indoor sport so that athletes wouldn't have to play outside in freezing temperatures.
The NBA regular season typically lasts from October to April, allowing for a full 82-game season, including playoffs. The college basketball season has a shorter schedule, with each team playing around 25-35 games per season.
