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[08/12/25 - 04:52 AM]
ESPN and ABC Unveil Blockbuster NBA Opening Week and Christmas Day Broadcast Schedules for 2025-26 Regular Season
Opening Week will include two doubleheaders across Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN and ABC Unveil Blockbuster NBA Opening Week and Christmas Day Broadcast Schedules for 2025-26 Regular Season

ESPN and ABC Combine to Exclusively Broadcast All Five Games Presented by State Farm on Christmas - the NBA's Biggest Day of the Regular Season

Reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Plus New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks to Appear on Opening Week and Christmas Day Presented by State Farm

ESPN and ABC today announced its blockbuster Opening Week and Christmas schedules for the 2025-26 NBA regular season. Opening Week will include two doubleheaders across Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23. All five Christmas games presented by State Farm on Thursday, December 25, will exclusively air across ESPN and ABC.

ESPN enters its 24th consecutive season as the primary broadcast partner of the NBA and the exclusive home of the NBA's most-marquee events, including the NBA Finals on ABC.

Opening Week Presented by State Farm Schedule

Date Time (ET) Game Platform

Wed, Oct. 22 7 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks ESPN

Wed, Oct. 22 9:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks ESPN

Thu, Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers ESPN

Thu, Oct. 23 10 p.m. Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors ESPN

Christmas Day Presented by State Farm Schedule

Time (ET) Game Platforms

12 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks ESPN, ABC

2:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ESPN, ABC

5 p.m. Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors ESPN, ABC

8 p.m. Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers ESPN, ABC

10:30 p.m. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets ESPN, ABC

Opening Week Presented by State Farm on ESPN

ESPN tips off its 2025-26 NBA regular-season coverage with four marquee matchups presented by State Farm across back-to-back nights. The action begins on Wednesday, October 22, at 7 p.m. ET, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell travel to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson in a battle of two Eastern Conference powerhouses. Following the game, at 9:30 p.m., two first overall picks - both past and present - square off deep in the heart of Texas, as the Dallas Mavericks and the debuting Cooper Flagg host the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama.

Opening Week continues Thursday, October 23, beginning at 7:30 p.m. with a 2025 NBA Finals rematch as the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning M.V.P. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander visit the Indiana Pacers and Pascal Siakam. The evening's nightcap features a Western Conference star-studded showdown as the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry host the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.

All Five NBA Christmas Games on ESPN and ABC - The Biggest Day of the Regular Season

ESPN continues its longstanding tradition of presenting exclusive, wall-to-wall coverage of all five Christmas Day games - the biggest day of the regular season. This year, all five games presented by State Farm will once again air across both ESPN and ABC.

The action tips off at 12 p.m. from Madison Square Garden where the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell return to New York to face the Knicks and Jalen Brunson. At 2:30 p.m., the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama visit the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Coverage continues at 5 p.m., where the Dallas Mavericks and Cooper Flagg visit the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry. At 8 p.m., the game's biggest names take center court in Los Angeles when the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Luka Dončić, host the Houston Rockets and newly acquired star Kevin Durant.

The star-studded slate concludes at 10:30 p.m. as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, fresh off their Western Conference Finals appearance, visit the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić.

The complete 2025-26 NBA on ESPN regular season schedule will be announced on Thursday.

All of ESPN. All in One Place. Coming August 21.

For the first time ever, ESPN will offer its full suite of networks and services directly to fans, along with an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, betting information, fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality will be available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. For more visit the ESPN DTC Press Kit.

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