The 2024-25 NBA regular season is less than a month away from tipping off, and players are making their way back to their teams to participate in training camps before preseason gets underway on October 4, with the first of two NBA Abu Dhabi Games between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.
With fresh talent joining different teams, coaches eager to make their mark with new squads, and superstar players vying for championship glory, NBA fans will soon get an early glimpse of what their favourite teams will look like heading into the regular season.
The 79th NBA regular season will tip off on October 22, 2024, and conclude on April 13, 2025. The Boston Celtics enter the new season as defending champions and are the current favourites to repeat, a feat that has not been accomplished in the NBA since the Golden State Warriors secured back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
Here, Sports Mole run through the key dates to add to your diaries, as well as pick out some of the major highlights you can look forward to this season.
NBA TRAINING CAMPS START
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As usual, the NBA offseason saw a flurry of activity, with free-agent signings confirmed, trades being finalised and a few surprise blockbuster deals catching the vast majority of fans and pundits off guard.
This year's biggest talking points revolved around Paul George joining the Philadelphia 76ers, Klay Thompson leaving his long-time team, the Golden State Warriors, for the Dallas Mavericks, and a huge trade that saw Mikal Bridges move from the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks.
The Celtics and Nuggets kicked off their training camp on September 24 in preparation for two preseason games in Abu Dhabi on October 4 and 6, while the remaining teams are set to begin their training camps on October 1, with preseason matchups scheduled to get underway on October 4.
NBA PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE 2024
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The 2024-25 NBA pre-season will get going on October 4 and runs through October 18, with each team playing four or five games. Throughout this stretch, teams will take the opportunity to assess their rosters, try out different tactics, and get ready for the challenging season ahead.
In addition to the Abu Dhabi games, the pre-season will feature the NBA Canada Series on October 6, when the Toronto Raptors will face off against the Washington Wizards at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Last season's NBA finalists the Dallas Mavericks will start their training camp in Las Vegas, followed by a pre-season game at the American Airlines Center against the Memphis Grizzlies, with Ja Morant back in action on October 7. They will then host the Utah Jazz in another home game on October 10.
This year will also see the New Zealand Breakers arrive in the US to participate in the pre-season matchups against three NBA teams. As part of their preparation for the upcoming season, the Breakers will face the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA 2024-25 PRE-SEASON KEY DATES
September 25: Training camps begin for all teams participating in preseason games outside North America
September 26: Denver Nuggets media day
September 30: Earliest date for all other veteran players to report to their teams
September 30: Media day for the remaining 27 teams
October 1: NBA training camps officially open
October 4 and 6: NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 (Celtics vs. Nuggets | Abu Dhabi, UAE)
October 6: NBA Canada Series (Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards | Montreal, QC)
October 12-13: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend (Springfield, MA)
October 18: NBA Preseason concludes
October 21: Rosters set for NBA Opening Day
NBA TIP-OFF 2024: START OF THE NBA REGULAR SEASON
The 2024-25 NBA regular season will tip off on October 22, 2024 and runs until April 13, 2025. The opening night will feature two games, starting with the Boston Celtics facing the New York Knicks, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA opening night fixtures
All times BST
Celtics vs. Knicks (TD Garden | October 23, 12.30)
Lakers vs. Timberwolves (Crypto.com Arena | October 23, 03:00)
BRONNY JAMES AND ZACCHARIE RISACHER POTENTIAL NBA DEBUTS
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Bronny James, the eldest son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer and four-time champion LeBron James, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers for this season, and the opening day could see history being made as the two can become the first-ever father-son duo to share the court together.
October 23 has a jam-packed schedule, with the Detroit Pistons facing the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena in the first of 10 games on the card. Early the next morning, the Atlanta Hawks will host the Brooklyn Nets at State Farm Arena and we are likely to see the number one draft pick Zaccharie Risacher make his professional NBA debut for Quin Snyder's team.
Bronny James and Zaccharie Risacher potential debuts
All times BST
Lakers vs. Timberwolves (Crypto.com Arena | October 23, 03:00)
Hawks vs. Nets (State Farm Arena | October 24, 00.30)
CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES
Three games are scheduled on Christmas Day in the UK (five in the US) with NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs kicking off the day's action in New York, followed by Minnesota taking on Dallas and Philadelphia facing Boston. The Lakers battle Golden State and Denver visit Phoenix in the early hours of Boxing Day for UK fans.
This marks the Spurs' first Christmas Day game since 2016 and the Timberwolves' first since 2017. Notably, the Milwaukee Bucks will miss the Christmas Day lineup for the first time in seven seasons.
Christmas Day fixtures
All times BST
Knicks vs. Spurs (Madison Square Garden | December 25, 17.00)
Mavericks vs. Timberwolves (American Airlines Center | December 25, 19:30)
Celtics vs. 76ers (TD Garden | December 25, 22:00)
Warriors vs. Lakers (Chase Center | December 26, 01:00)
Suns vs. Nuggets (Footprint Center | December 26, 03:30)
ALL 30 NBA TEAMS IN ACTION
This season features four nights where all 30 teams will be in action, starting on November 4, with games starting every 15 minutes. The other dates when every team will play on the same day are February 12, April 11 (the penultimate day of the regular season), and April 13 (the final day of the regular season).
ELECTION DAY WILL BE A SCHEDULED DAY OFF
For the third consecutive year, there will be no NBA games on Election Day, which falls on November 6 (UK) this year. Other off days for the NBA this season include November 29 (Thanksgiving), December 23, February 17-19 (break following All-Star weekend), and April 12.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY SCHEDULE
On January 20, 2025, the league will host seven games, six of which fall in BST, in honour of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. The matchups include Dallas visiting Charlotte, Detroit taking on Houston, Minnesota facing Memphis, Atlanta going to New York, Phoenix playing Cleveland, Boston squaring off against Golden State, and Utah visiting New Orleans.
Memphis, the city where King was assassinated in 1968, will hold a game on this holiday for the 22nd time in the past 23 seasons.
Dr. Martin Luther King day fixtures
All times BST
Hornets vs. Mavericks (Spectrum Center | January 20, 17.00)
Rockets vs. Pistons (Toyota Center | January 20, 19:00)
Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies (FedEx Forum | January 20, 19:30)
Knicks vs. Hawks (Madison Square Garden | January 20, 20:00)
Cavaliers vs. Suns (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse | January 20, 20:30)
Warriors vs. Celtics (Chase Center | January 20, 22:00)
Pelicans vs. Jazz (Smoothie King Center | January 21, 01:00)
LEBRON JAMES' 40th BIRTHDAY
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This season marks LeBron James' 22nd year in the NBA, tying him with Vince Carter for the record of longest career in league history. While the Lakers will not have a game on December 30, they will host the Sacramento Kings at home on December 28 - the same opponent LeBron faced in his first NBA match when he was just 18.
RIVALS WEEK HIGHLIGHTS
Classic and emerging rivalries among teams and players will take the spotlight during the third annual NBA Rivals Week in January. The week will include 10 blockbuster games, including the Dallas Mavericks hosting the Boston Celtics in their first matchup since the 2024 NBA Finals.
Thereafter, we will see a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference semi-final between the Timberwolves and Nuggets in Minnesota, followed by the Lakers visiting the Warriors.
Rivals week fixtures
All times BST
Nets vs. Knicks (Barclays Center | January 22, 00.30)
Nuggets vs. 76ers (Toyota Center | January 22, 03:00)
Mavericks vs. Timberwolves (American Airlines Center | January 23, 00:30)
Kings vs. Warriors (Golden 1 Center | January 23, 03:00)
Bucks vs. Heat (Fiserv Forum | January 24, 00:30)
Lakers vs. Celtics (Crypto.com Arena | January 24, 03:00)
Grizzlies vs. Pelicans (FedEx Forum | January 25, 01:00)
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets (Target Center | January 25, 21:00)
Mavericks vs. Celtics (American Airlines Center | January 25, 22:30)
Warriors vs. Lakers (Chase Center | January 26, 01:30)
FINALS REMATCHES AND NUMBER ONES FACE-OFF
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On January 25, the Celtics will visit Dallas for the first rematch of last season's NBA Finals, with the Mavs then heading to Boston on February 6. This marks the seventh consecutive season without an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas Day. Prior to this, there had been a Christmas rematch of the previous season's finals in five of the seven seasons.
The two matchups featuring the teams with the most recent No. 1 draft picks - Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) and Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks) - will be broadcast nationally, with the first game scheduled for December 19 in San Antonio, followed by the second game on February 6 in Atlanta.
Wembanyama faces Risacher
All times BST
Spurs vs. Hawks (AT&T Center | December 20, 01:30)
Hawks vs. Spurs (State Farm Arena | February 6, 00:30)
FINAL WEEK OF THE REGULAR SEASON
Similar to the previous season, all 30 NBA teams will take the court on both the third-to-last day (Thursday, April 10) and the final day (Sunday, April 13) of the regular season.
On April 13, to enhance competitive fairness, the seven games featuring Eastern Conference teams will kick off at 5 pm. BST, while the seven games involving Western Conference teams, along with one cross-conference matchup, will commence at 7:30 pm BST.
Final-day fixtures
All times BST
Nets vs. Knicks (Barclays Center | April 13, 17:00)
Hawks vs. Magic (State Farm Arena | April 13, 17:00)
Bucks vs. Pistons (Fiserv Forum | April 13, 17:00)
Celtics vs. Hornets (TD Garden | April 13, 17:00)
Cavaliers vs. Pacers (Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | April 13, 17:00)
Heat vs. Wizards (Kaseya Center | April 13, 17:00)
76ers vs. Bulls (Wells Fargo Center | April 13, 17:00)
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers (Moda Center | April 13, 19:30)
Timberwolves vs. Jazz (Target Center | April 13, 19:30)
Pelicans vs. Thunder (Smoothie King Center | April 13, 19:30)
Grizzlies vs. Mavericks (FedEx Forum | April 13, 19:30)
Kings vs. Suns (Golden 1 Center | April 13, 19:30)
Warriors vs. Clippers (Chase Center | April 13, 19:30)
Spurs vs. Raptors (AT&T Center | April 13, 19:30)
Rockets vs. Nuggets (Toyota Center | April 13, 19:30)
NBA 2024-25 REGULAR SEASON KEY DATES
October 22: Opening night of the 2024-25 NBA regular season
November 12: Emirates NBA Cup begins
December 3: Emirates NBA Cup Group Stage concludes
December 10-11: Emirates NBA Cup Quarter-final
December 14: Emirates NBA Cup Semi-final
December 17: Emirates NBA Cup Championship
February 6: NBA Trade Deadline
February 14-16: NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco
April 13: NBA Regular Season ends
April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
April 19: NBA Playoffs begin
Devesh Jaganath
