ABC and ESPN's 25th annual NBA slate features holiday antics and the Western Conference Finals.
The Walt Disney Company's 2026-27 NBA offerings will be a magic kingdom for basketball fans.
This month's release of the 2026-27 NBA schedule features a plethora of high-profile games for ABC and ESPN, beginning with a dramatic doubleheader on Oct. 21. Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball will makes their respective official debuts for the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves before the Golden State Warriors do California civil war with the Los Angeles Lakers in SoCal shortly thereafter.
Highlights of Year 25
The highlight of ABC/ESPN's schedule remains the Christmas Day slate, which will see the two networks simulcast the entire five-game lineup. It opens with an NBA Finals rematch between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs before the aforementioned Heat battles the Boston Celtics. Things go west with LeBron James' first visit to the Lakers' dwelling as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder's move to Minnesota. A nightcap has the Warriors dueling the Denver Nuggets down by the Bay.
ESPN's primary dwellings during the regular season will land on Wednesdays and Fridays, while ABC gets a solid weekend slate when the calendar flips to 2027. The latter part includes "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" programming, which begins with a Dec. 12 preview between Miami and New York before going full force with a quadruple-header on Jan. 30. Big games will also lead into ABC/ESPN's broadcasting of Super LXI in Los Angeles on Feb. 14: the Lakers face the Nuggets two days before while the Knicks take on the Warriors at home on what essentially serves as Super Bowl Saturday.
ABC and ESPN will also populate a good postseason portion, culminating in both the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. The latter returns to ABC for the 24th consecutive occasion.
View the full schedule between ABC and ESPN below ...
(All Times ET)
(Matchups Subject to Change)
October
Wednesday, October 21
- Minnesota at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
- Golden State at LA Lakers, 10 p.m.
Thursday, October 22
- Cleveland at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
- Denver at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 28
- Philadelphia at Indiana, 7 p.m.
- Oklahoma City at Dallas, 9:30 p.m.
November
Wednesday, November 4
- Philadelphia at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- Dallas at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 11
- Cleveland at New York, 7 p.m.
- Golden State at Houston, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18
- Milwaukee at Miami, 7 p.m.
- Golden State at Dallas, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Eve)
- Miami at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
- Minnesota at Oklahoma City, 7:30 p.m.
- San Antonio at Portland, 10 p.m.
December
Saturday, December 12
- New York at Miami, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 16
- Washington at Boston, 7 p.m.
- LA Lakers at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day)
- San Antonio at New York, 12 p.m.
- Miami at Boston, 2:30 p.m.
- Philadelphia at LA Lakers, 5 p.m.
- Oklahoma City at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
- Denver at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.
January
Wednesday, January 6
- Oklahoma City at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
- New York at Golden State, 10 p.m.
Friday, January 8
- Miami at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
- Phoenix at Dallas, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 13
- New York at Boston, 7 p.m.
- Houston at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 20
- Chicago at Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
- Miami at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, January 22
- New York at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
- Minnesota at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 27
- Detroit at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
- Denver at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, January 29
- Cleveland at Toronto, 7 p.m.
- Charlotte at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 30
- Philadelphia at Miami, 12:30 p.m.
- Denver at Oklahoma City, 3 p.m.
- San Antonio at Golden State, 5:30 p.m.
- LA Lakers at New York, 8:30 p.m.
February
Wednesday, February 3
- New York at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- Utah at Houston, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feburary 6
- LA Lakers at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 10
- Golden State at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
- LA Clippers at LA Lakers, 10 p.m.
Friday, February 12
- Denver at LA Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 13
- Golden State at New York, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 17
- New York at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- Boston at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, February 26
- Cleveland at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
- LA Lakers at Denver, 10 p.m.
Saturday, February 27
- Philadelphia at New York, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 28
- Denver vs. San Antonio (@ Austin, TX), 1 p.m.
- LA Lakers at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.
March
Wednesday, March 3
- Toronto at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
- San Antonio at Denver, 10 p.m.
Friday, March 5
- Boston at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- San Antonio at Houston, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 6
- Oklahoma City at LA Lakers, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 7
- Philadelphia at Boston,, 1 p.m.
- Minnesota at Denver, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 10
- Orlando at Miami, 7 p.m.
- Atlanta at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13
- Philadelphia at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m.
- LA Clippers at Portland, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 14
- Boston at New York, 12 p.m.
- San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 17
- Dallas at Oklahoma City, 7:30 p.m.
- Phoenix at LA Lakers, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24
- San Antonio at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
- Philadelphia at Golden State, 10 p.m.
Sunday, March 28
- New York at Orlando, 12:30 p.m.
- LA Lakers at Houston, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31
- Golden State at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
- Denver at Dallas, 9:30 p.m.
April
Wednesday, April 7
- Cleveland at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
- Minnesota at LA Lakers
Sunday, April 11
- TBD, 6 p.m.
- TBD, 8:30 p.m.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
