NBA opens 81st season with first-ever 3 p.m. ET game in Detroit
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The gist
The NBA's 81st season tips off with the Pistons hosting the Celtics at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
The afternoon start aims to grow the league's audience in Europe and Asia.
Background
The NBA is the top U.S. professional basketball league, and its opening night usually means two prime-time games, with the defending champion often playing first if it sits in the Eastern or Central time zone. This year the league added an afternoon game in Detroit, where the Pistons — last season's Eastern Conference top seed at 60-22 — host the Boston Celtics. The NBA says the earlier start comes from its new media rights deal with NBC and lets fans in Europe, West Africa and Asia catch at least part of the game; the league also plans to create NBA Europe in some form by October 2027.
How it unfolded
- Oct 20, 2026The NBA's 81st season opens at 3 p.m. ET in Detroit, with the Pistons hosting the Celtics on NBC — the first of NBC's three games that day.
- Oct 20, 2026The reigning champion New York Knicks hold their ring-and-banner ceremony at Madison Square Garden before facing the 76ers at 7 p.m. ET.
- Oct 20, 2026The Spurs face the Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET to close NBC's opening-night slate, with other openers including Lakers vs. Warriors at 10 p.m. on ESPN.
- Oct 21, 2026The schedule continues with games including Timberwolves vs. Heat and Warriors vs. Lakers, both on ESPN.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- NBA broadcasting head Paul Benedict said the first day of the season is one of the most anticipated moments on the calendar, and the NBC deal let the league make it bigger with more games.
- Official
- NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said a record number of games — "something like (115)" — will air in prime time in Europe this year, and the league continues to focus on that market.