The schedule rollout for the 2026-27 NBA season is complete. What started with Christmas Day games and the NBA Cup matchups finished Thursday with the full schedule* for all 30 teams. The new season, the 81st in the league's history, will tip off on Oct. 20 and run through April 11.
The reigning champion New York Knicks will receive their rings and raise their banner to the Madison Square Garden rafters on Opening Night when they host LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers, but in a surprise twist, that will not be the first game of the season. Now that the schedule is out and the 2026-27 season has become a bit more real, let's take a look at some winners and losers from the release. *Due to the NBA Cup format, each team has 80 of 82 games locked in. Their remaining two games will be determined based on how they fare in the group stage of the in-season competition.
LeBron James stunned everyone in the basketball world by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The move will take him back to the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2018, and away from Los Angeles, where his family has lived for nearly a decade. Before he publicly announced his decision to sign with the Sixers, James talked about the family aspect of his move.
"I have an almost 22-year-old son who is now my former teammate, which is hilarious," James said, referring to Lakers guard Bronny James. "I have a 19-year-old son (Bryce) that's at the University of Arizona. But it's my almost 12-year-old daughter (Zhuri) who is pulled away a lot (from me because of basketball).
"I pulled her to the side and I was like, 'Baby, I'm letting you know. I don't want you to hear from nobody else, but I won't be playing for the Lakers next year. I will be playing somewhere else,'" James said.
"'I won't be home all the time. And you may not have an answer right now. You can give me an answer now.
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