NBA 2026-27 Preview

The biggest basketball show on earth is back. Last June, Jalen Brunson’s 45-point masterpiece in Game 5 against San Antonio ended the New York Knicks’ 53 year wait for a title. Now the league looks as open as it has in years. LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are in Philadelphia, Giannis Antetokounmpo has swapped Milwaukee for Miami, and at least five teams fancy their chances of lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June.

Novibet blog presents the detailed preview about the new NBA Season: The tip-off date, the TV Channels broadcasting the games, the most important transfers and the favourites to be crowned champions! Check out also the 10 Largest NBA Arenas.

When does it start?

The 2026-27 regular season tips off on Tuesday 20 October 2026. It’s the NBA’s 81st season, and it runs until Sunday 11 April 2027. Each team plays 82 games, and pre-season warm-ups run from 3 to 17 October. The Emirates NBA Cup group stage starts on 30 October, with the Cup final scheduled on 11 December. The season also features five games on Christmas Day.

Opening night schedule

For Irish fans, the season opener comes at a friendly hour. Detroit Pistons v Boston Celtics tips off at 20:00 Irish time on Tuesday 20 October at Little Caesars Arena. The game is a rare 15:00 Eastern Time for USA and pits last season’s top two teams in the East against each other. Detroit finished first and Boston second.

After the opener, the champion Knicks raise their banner at Madison Square Garden before facing LeBron and Brown’s first game for Philadelphia. The night ends with a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals.

Broadcasting and streaming channels

In Ireland, the NBA is split between Sky Sports and Amazon Prime Video, with NBA League Pass covering the rest.

• Sky Sports shows more than 100 live games a season under a deal that runs to 2036. Sky’s sister network NBC holds the US rights to the opening night tripleheader, so Pistons v Celtics is expected on Sky Sports. You can also stream it on the Sky Go app or with a NOW Sports membership.
• Prime Video has Friday night games in the UK and Ireland, including the Opening Week doubleheader on 23 October (Celtics V Knicks). It also has the NBA Cup knockout rounds and exclusive rights to the Finals, which it showed live last June.
• NBA League Pass, through the NBA App, streams the games Sky and Prime don’t show, live or on demand.

Favourites for the ring

There have been nine different champions in nine years, and that run could easily reach ten because of the rise of the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs to the rank of favourites.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won two MVPs in a row and is going for a third straight, which only Russell, Chamberlain and Bird have managed. Sam Presti trimmed the roster over the summer, letting Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins go. The young core is still intact, though, and still hurting after losing Game 7 at home to the Spurs. 

OKC Thunder Competition Winner is at 5/2 odds at Novibet

San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama reached the Finals in his first playoff run. Tobias Harris adds experience, but the real gains should come from Wemby, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as they develop.

SA Spurs Competition Winner is at 11/4 odds at Novibet

Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers were 20/1 before the summer. They’re now at 9/1 after adding Jaylen Brown and then LeBron James to a group of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. Whether it works will depend on the health of 41-year-old James and Embiid.

New York Knicks: The champions are at odds 9/1 and bring back Brunson, Anunoby, Bridges, Towns and Hart. No team has won back-to-back titles since Golden State in 2018.

Boston Celtics: Tatum and Paul George form a new duo after Brown’s departure. It’s a gamble, but Boston still finished second in the East last season.

Boston Celtics Competition Winner is at 14/1 odds at Novibet

Outsiders: Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat are capable of doing the extra mile and you can find them at 22/1 odds to lift the Larry O’ Brien trophy at Novibet. 

Most important transfers

This was one of the wildest summers in NBA history, and three moves stand out. Giannis Antetokounmpo finally left Milwaukee. The Bucks sent the two-time MVP to Miami for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis and four first-round picks, which ended a year-long saga. Philadelphia then traded Paul George and two first-round picks to Boston for Jaylen Brown. After that, they signed LeBron James, who left the Lakers to start his 24th season at 41. Those two moves took the Sixers from outsiders to contenders almost overnight.

Beyond the big three, Kawhi Leonard went back to Toronto, while Brandon Ingram went the other way to the Clippers. LaMelo Ball went to Minnesota and Ja Morant to Portland, giving two All-Star guards fresh starts. Meanwhile, the Spurs added Tobias Harris‘s experience alongside Wembanyama.

Multiple NBA Champions by Franchise

* The first 5 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954) Championships were won as Minneapolis Lakers.
** The first 2 (1947, 1956) Championships were won as Philadelphia Warriors.
*** The first (1955) Championship was won as Syracuse Nationals.
**** The first (1979) Championship was won as Seattle Supersonics.