As previously reported by Front Office Sports, LeBron James’s 76ers received the maximum 34 national TV games in the NBA’s new 2026-27 schedule. But King James’s old team in Los Angeles still remains one of the league’s biggest TV draws.
Luka Doncic’s Lakers will also play in the maximum of 34 nationally televised/streamed games, along with James’s 76ers, Jalen Brunson’s defending champion Knicks, and Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the 2025 champion Thunder are scheduled for 30 national TV tilts. They’re followed by Steph Curry’s Warriors and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets with 28 apiece, then Jayson Tatum’s Celtics and Anthony Edwards’s Timberwolves with 27. In his first season in Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat will play in 25 national TV games.
The Lakers’ robust national TV schedule might surprise some given James’s departure in free agency, but maybe it shouldn’t. Even though the Spurs and Thunder are favored in the West, the Lakers still play in the country’s second-largest TV market and have one of the league’s largest fanbases. The 27-year-old Doncic led the league in scoring last season, averaging 33.5 points per game. It’s still Showtime in Los Angeles.
The Chosen One’s move to Philadelphia also enabled the NBA to create a juicy Christmas Day matchup on ESPN/ABC between the Lakers and the visiting Sixers. With both James and former Celtics star Jaylen Brown joining former MVP Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, the Sixers are set to more than double their national appearances from 14 last season. NBC also announced a holiday quadrupleheader for Presidents Day on Feb. 15: the day after ESPN/ABC televises Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles.
Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is guaranteed to play in two national broadcasts/streams per season across the league’s media partners: Disney’s ABC/ESPN, NBCUniversal’s NBC Sports/Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video. Bringing up the rear with only two national appearances apiece this season will be the Nets, Bucks, Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Kings.
The NBA regular season typically tips off in primetime TV, with the new champions receiving their championship rings. But in a twist, the league will begin the new season on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 20. NBC will broadcast a tripleheader, starting with Celtics-Pistons at 3 p.m. ET, followed by Knicks-76ers at 7 p.m., and Spurs-Thunder at 9:30 p.m.
The afternoon start is a sign that league schedulers are thinking more creatively as they enter the second year of their 11-year, $76 billion agreement with rights partners. The longtime ratings success of the NFL on Sunday afternoons, and recent big numbers for afternoon World Cup telecasts, has made leagues, networks, and streamers think anew about the ratings potential of afternoon games.
