Predicting when the NBA Schedule will be released

Most of the dust has settled from the NBA’s offseason and many fans have moved on to the Olympics, the MLB stretch run, or the upcoming NFL season. But the NBA still has an announcement or two to make that will steal the headlines and media attention for at least a day or two.

One thing people in the NBA world are still waiting for is some closure on the new media rights deal that has had the internet buzzing recently. The NBA has reached an agreement on a massive new TV deal, but there is still some confusion as to whether TNT - and perhaps more importantly, Inside the NBA - will continue to partner with the league.

But beyond that ordeal playing out, one of the next big announcements will be the NBA schedule release for the 2024-25 season. This is a much-anticipated day that usually occurs in mid to late August historically.

Nuggets fans should immediately be looking to see if the team plays on opening night or Christmas day

Some of the biggest things people will look to see are which teams are playing on opening night, which teams are playing on Christmas Day, which teams have the most nationally televised games, and things of that nature.

The opponents on the schedule are all known, of course, but the timing of different road trips and various rest advantages are still noteworthy and important if not the sexiest bit of news. The Nuggets are worthy of a marquee opening week game on national TV and a Christmas game should be a formality at this point.

Hopefully, the team will avoid tough road trips and schedule losses including many back-to-backs. But overall, the schedule can only have so much bearing on the season. Still, in a long summer, it’s something for NBA fans to get excited about and gives them something to look forward to. Fans can also start buying tickets and planning trips accordingly.

Predicting the NBA schedule release date

Last year, the schedule was released on Friday, August 18th, the year before it was Wednesday, August 17th, and three years ago the schedule came out on Friday, August 20th. It stands to reason that the NBA shoots for mid-August and seems to like Fridays. With the Olympics wrapping up on Sunday, August 11th, I’d imagine the NBA would want to build on that momentum and release the schedule the following Friday, August 16th this year.

This gives the Olympics a few days to breathe but still captures the interest that has already been built. It also should give the NBA a week or so in the news and media cycle before the NFL truly takes over.