The NBA has scheduled 247 national games for the 2025-26 season, a 43.6% increase from last year’s 172, as part of its new 11-year, $77 billion media deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video.
Front Office Sports reports these games will air on linear TV (ABC, ESPN, NBC) or streaming platforms (Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN), with every national game available on at least one streaming service.
The season tips off on October 21 with a doubleheader on NBC and Peacock, marking the NBA’s return to NBC after over two decades. The Houston Rockets face the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Golden State Warriors.
Amazon Prime Video will stream its first exclusive NBA games on October 24, featuring a Celtics-Knicks and Timberwolves-Lakers doubleheader. Peacock’s NBA Monday games debut on October 27 with the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves.
The national schedule includes games on:
- Monday: Peacock
- Tuesday: NBC, Peacock
- Wednesday: ESPN
- Thursday: Amazon Prime Video
- Friday: Amazon Prime Video, ESPN
- Saturday: Amazon Prime Video, ABC
- Sunday: ABC, NBC, Peacock
Starting mid-season, as football season ends, the NBA will feature national games every day. NBC will also launch Sunday Night Basketball on February 1, modeled after its Sunday Night Football format.