The NBA offseason is when hope springs eternal. But with more than four months between the Oklahoma City Thunder reaching the top of the mountain as NBA champions and the tipoff of the next climb to seize the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the offseason can also just … feel eternal.
That’s one reason why so many fans get so psyched for the annual release of the NBA schedule. Beyond the specific national-TV-and-travel-related elements to analyze (and, invariably, rant and rave about), it also affords us the chance to sketch out some notes for a new group of storylines we’re looking forward to following.
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We finally know when each new draft pick will begin his ascent to stardom, when that premier free-agent signing or trade acquisition will begin fitting in precisely as the front office imagined, and when the 29 teams that didn’t hoist the Larry O’B will get the chance to reframe last season’s heartbreak into a necessary stumble on the road to better things. It’s the first step toward turning everything we’ve been thinking about into reality.
And if all that seems a little high-minded for what is ostensibly the posting of 30 82-game tables … well, it’ll kill some time, at least.
Let’s while away those minutes together, taking a quick spin through the calendar to highlight — in no particular order — some of the most anticipated games on the just-released 2025-26 NBA schedule, starting at … well, the start:
(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
All times Eastern.
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Rockets at Thunder, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Let’s not be too clever: It’s opening night, and the newly crowned NBA champions will hoist Oklahoma City’s first NBA championship banner and receive their rings right before taking on a Houston team that finished second in the West last season. Oh, and that Houston team, by the way, spent its summer loading for bear to take aim at the Thunder’s throne — most notably by trading for Kevin Durant, arguably the greatest Thunder player ever.
Plotlines! Incredible talent! “Roundball Rock!” What more could you ask for?
I’m glad you asked:
Warriors at Lakers, Oct. 21, 10 p.m. (NBC)
The league’s opening nightcap gives us our first look at the retooled Lakers, with Luka Dončić fully re-upped and slimmed down, with new arrivals Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia making their L.A. debuts … and oh, right, LeBron James. He’s…