NBC will kick off the NBA season on Oct. 21 with a blockbuster doubleheader, beginning with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder facing Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, the league and NBC Sports announced Tuesday. The Thunder–Rockets game, scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m. ET, will be called by Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford and Zora Stephenson.
That matchup will be followed by a marquee Los Angeles Lakers–Golden State Warriors showdown featuring LeBron James and Stephen Curry — a rivalry renewed after their four straight NBA Finals meetings from 2015–2018 and their recent collaboration at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Noah Eagle, Grant Hill and Ashley ShahAhmadi will call the nightcap, which the announcement says will also highlight stars Luka Dončić and Jimmy Butler. The two-game opening night on NBC marks the league’s first NBA broadcast on the network since the 2002 Finals.
The opening-night pairings set the tone for what promises to be one of the most star-studded season openers in recent memory. The Thunder, coming off a 2025 title and consecutive top finishes in the Western Conference, return most of the roster that captured the championship. The Rockets have reshaped their young core by adding future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant to a roster that includes Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson, creating an intriguing West showdown.
NBC Sports and the NBA also revealed early-season programming plans beyond the Oct. 21 opener. Peacock NBA Monday debuts Oct. 27 with a doubleheader beginning at 7 p.m. ET featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Detroit Pistons, followed by Western Conference rivals Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. Additionally, the league and NBC will present the first-ever Martin Luther King Jr. Day quadrupleheader on Jan. 19, 2026, across NBC and Peacock.
Additional comments and context:
– NBC’s return to NBA broadcasts is both nostalgic and strategic: the network once served as the league’s long-time broadcast home, and this restart signals an effort to blend traditional broadcast reach with Peacock’s streaming platform. That could broaden accessibility and viewership across linear and digital audiences.
– The Thunder–Rockets game is a significant early test of Houston’s retooled roster with Durant against an established championship-caliber Oklahoma City team. It’s likely to be one of the most-watched matchups of opening night.
– The Lakers–Warriors pairing leverages two of the league’s biggest names (LeBron, Curry) and taps into lingering national interest in their historical Finals battles and recent Olympic camaraderie, offering a narrative-rich matchup for casual and hardcore fans alike.
– The inclusion of marquee matchups in both broadcast and streaming windows (NBC and Peacock) underscores the NBA’s evolving media strategy to maximize exposure and grow audiences across platforms.
Short summary:
NBC will air the NBA’s Oct. 21 season opener with Thunder vs. Rockets (7:30 p.m. ET) followed by Lakers vs. Warriors, marking the first NBA games on NBC since 2002. Peacock NBA Monday debuts Oct. 27, and a MLK Day quadrupleheader is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2026.
Hopeful take:
This high-profile opening night and the cross-platform NBC/Peacock slate offer a strong, fan-friendly kickoff to the season — blending classic broadcast moments with modern streaming reach and showcasing both established champions and retooled contenders.