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The current logo used for ESPN's NBA live game broadcasts (2022-present). (πΈ Photo courtesy of SportsVideo.org)
| ⦿ Thursday, August 14, 2025
- ABC returns for the 24th consecutive season of NBA coverage with a 23-game schedule (Christmas Day, Saturday Primetime, & Sunday Showcase).
- As per usual, ABC kicks off its regular season lineup of games with a full slate of Christmas Day π— Thursday, December 25 — with 13 live hours of game coverage beginning at 12:00 PM (ET) (with a simulcast available on ESPN).
- "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by Wingstop" — the widely celebrated national game of the week — returns with a special tripleheader (Knicks vs. 76ers, 3:00 PM ET; Warriors vs. Timberwolves, 5:30 PM ET; & Lakers vs. Mavericks, 8:30 PM ET) on Saturday, January 24 during the fourth annual "NBA Rivals Week".
- π Super Bowl Sunday brings the season debut of ABC's longstanding Sunday afternoon package — "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC presented by Popeyes" — New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics on Sunday, February 8 at 12:30 PM (ET).
On Thursday (Aug. 14) of this week, the National Basketball Association (NBA), in conjunction with ABC and ESPN, announced the complete broadcast schedule for the 2025-26 NBA regular season. ABC celebrates its 24th season of carrying national NBA broadcasts with a schedule full of enticing matchups — including Christmas Day, NBA Saturday Primetime, and NBA Sunday Showcase.
As a general rule, ABC holds the rights to two of the most important NBA properties that a singular network can have — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by Wingstop" and "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC presented by Popeyes" — with the Saturday package starting in January and the Sunday package kicking off in February. ABC resumes its investment in NBA coverage during the 2025-26 season with a spectacular group of play-by-play commentators, game analysts, sideline reporters, studio hosts, & studio analysts.
Christmas Day Star Power:
This year, ESPN will once again have the responsibility of televising all five Christmas Day games presented by State Farm on Thursday, December 25. Game coverage starts at 12:00 PM (ET) from Madison Square Garden, where Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers compete against Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks. At 2:30 PM (ET), Devin Vassell and the San Antonio Spurs travel to Oklahoma City for a showdown with Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coverage continues at 5:00 PM (ET) as Cooper Flagg — playing his first-ever Christmas game — leads the Dallas Mavericks into a Western Conference battle against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. At 8:00 PM (ET), Los Angeles plays host to a Western Conference game that features a pair of future Hall of Famers, as Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets clash with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The full Christmas lineup wraps up with the 10:30 PM (ET) nightcap. In this game, Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves — fresh off two consecutive Western Conference Finals matchups — come into Denver to play Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets.
NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by Wingstop:
"NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by Wingstop" is back for the 11th consecutive season, serving as the marquee NBA national game each week. ABC's 2025-26 "NBA Saturday Primeitme" package will kick off with an exciting tripleheader on Saturday, January 24, during NBA Rivals Week. The first game starts at 3:00 PM (ET) with the New York Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, visiting the Philadelphia 76ers, featuring Joel Embiid. At 5:30 PM (ET), the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Anthony Edwards, will compete against the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry. The night will wrap up at 8:30 PM (ET) as Luka DonΔiΔ, joined by LeBron James, guides the Los Angeles Lakers against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, nearly a year after his trade.
NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC presented by Popeyes:
The "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC presened by Popeyes" franchise returns for another season on ABC. Coverage begins on π Super Bowl Sunday - Sunday, February 8 - with an Atlantic Division matchup feauring the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics at 12:30 PM (ET). Following this game, ABC will present at least one game on Sunday afternoons from February 22 through March 15 (with February 22, March 1, and March 8) being doubleheaders.
. Additional NBA on ABC Schedule Highlights:
- Six appearances each by the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, & New York Knicks.
- Five appearances by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
- Massive interconference Sunday Showcase game between the best two teams in the league last year in terms of the record — Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Sunday, February 22 at 1:00 PM (ET).
- Stephen Curry and LeBron James are set to add two more chapters to their longstanding rivalry during two Saturday Primetime games in February as the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers play on Saturday, February 7 and Saturday, February 28.
- Lone-Star Showdown: Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks face one of their biggest rivals, Jabari Smith Jr. and the Houston Rockets, in the Saturday, January 31 edition of "NBA Saturday Primetime".
Coupled with ABC's expansive regular season offerings, ABC is the exclusive home of the 2026 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, a simulcast of ESPN's first-round coverage of he 2026 NBA Draft, and first-round and second-round playoff games.
As always, all ESPN NBA programming (ABC/ESPN) is available on the ESPN App. NBA Today, ESPN's daily weekday NBA studio program, returns for the fifth consecutive season. The show will air Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM (ET) to 4:00 PM (ET). Furthermore, the programming lineup for ESPN's adjoining NBA coverage, including "Inside the NBA", will be announced later this summer.
The 2025-2026 NBA on ABC Schedule is listed below, with regular updates on the broadcast schedule and commentators.
| ▣ NBA on ABC: 2025-26 NBA Regular Season Broadcast Schedule (All Times Eastern and Subject to Change)
- Regular Season:
| ● Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day π)
. Cavaliers at Knicks - ABC/ESPN, 12:00 PM (ET) -
. Spurs at Thunder - ABC/ESPN, 2:30 PM (ET) -
. Mavericks at Warriors - ABC/ESPN, 5:00 PM (ET) -
. Rockets at Lakers - ABC/ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) -
. Timberwolves at Nuggets - ABC/ESPN, 10:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, January 24 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (Season Premiere) & NBA Rivals Week
. Knicks at 76ers - ABC, 3:00 PM (ET) -
. Warriors at Timberwolves - ABC, 5:30 PM (ET) -
. Lakers at Mavericks - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, January 31 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC"
. Mavericks at Rockets - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, February 7 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC"
. Rockets at Thunder - ABC, 3:30 PM (ET) -
. Warriors at Lakers - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Sunday, February 8 — π Super Bowl Sunday & "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC" (Season Premiere)
. Knicks at Celtics - ABC, 12:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, February 21 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC"
. Rockets at Knicks - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Sunday, February 22 — "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC"
. Cavaliers at Thunder - ABC, 1:00 PM (ET) -
. Nuggets at Warriors - ABC, 3:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, February 28 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC"
. Lakers at Warriors - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Sunday, March 1 — "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC"
. Spurs at Knicks - ABC, 1:00 PM (ET) -
. Timberwolves at Nuggets - ABC, 3:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, March 7 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC"
. Warriors at Thunder - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Sunday, March 8 — "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC"
. Celtics at Cavaliers - ABC, 1:00 PM (ET) -
. Knicks at Lakers - ABC, 3:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Saturday, March 14 — "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (Season Finale)
. Nuggets at Lakers - ABC, 8:30 PM (ET) -
| ● Sunday, March 15 — "NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC" (Season Finale)
. Timberwolves at Thunder - ABC, 1:00 PM (ET) -
|| Sources π: NBA Communications & ESPN Press Room ||
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