• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 17, 2025

NBA Schedule Tweaks Focus on Load Management 

  • The NBA released the 2024–2025 schedule for all 30 teams.
  • There will be no back-to-back games for teams playing “high-profile national TV games.”
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA is making another proactive attempt to address load-management issues by adjusting its schedule. 

All 30 NBA teams announced their regular-season schedule for the 2024–2025 season Thursday, and Associated Press writer Tim Reynolds noted the league cut the average back-to-backs per team by 23%, removed instances of four games in five nights and eight games in 12 nights, and made sure that teams will not play a day before or after “high-profile national TV games.”

The criteria for “high-profile national TV game,” Reynolds later pointed out, are games on Christmas, ABC on Saturday night, TNT on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and national TV opening-week games—except for Friday. While these restrictions are more stringent than in years past, they do not completely absolve teams playing national TV games from back-to-backs.

For example, the Lakers face the Spurs in San Antonio on ESPN on Nov. 15, then travel to New Orleans to play the Pelicans in a regionally televised game the next day. And, on Jan. 28, the Lakers will face the 76ers in Philadelphia on TNT one day after playing the Hornets in Charlotte.

The NBA’s moves to address load management come even after the league already signed its next media-rights deal worth $77 billion with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Disney last month. 

NFL Steals Christmas

NBA social-media teams took a page from the NFL’s book by pulling off creative schedule announcements, such as the Suns’ thread of memes or the Magic’s Spider Verse–inspired video.

But the NBA is facing pressure from the NFL continuing to schedule games on Christmas Day, a holiday that has traditionally been exclusive to the NBA. The NFL has aired a tripleheader for the last two years on Christmas—and while the NBA saw a viewership increase of 5% in 2022, that was driven by all five games simulcasting on ABC. In 2023, when only two of the five games aired on ABC, the NBA slate averaged just 2.85 million viewers, a 23% year-over-year dip, and the league’s lowest Christmas Day viewership on record. 

The NBA is continuing with its five-game slate this Christmas, with three games on ABC, highlighted by a matchup between the Lakers and Warriors. The NFL is pushing through with a doubleheader—even if Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday—and it will be exclusively streamed on Netflix, the first time the streaming giant will livestream any major U.S. sport. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Hansi Flick

Barcelona Players, Coach ‘Not Happy’ About Miami Game

La Liga is on the verge of relocating a December match.
Jon Ledecky

Islanders Owner Warns WNBA Against Labor Strife: ‘No Bueno’

Jon Ledecky drew a stark contrast between the two leagues.
Dave Checketts

Ex-Knicks President: When David Stern Accused Me of Skirting Cap

The Knicks walked away clean when accused of cap circumvention in the 1990s.
Apr 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of an NBA basketball and backyard and NBA logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center.

NBA Tries to Solve Fragmentation Issue It Helped Create

A new “Tap to Watch” feature will direct fans to live games.

Featured Today

May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Second place Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) sprays champagne on winner Mercedes driver George Russell (63) at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Apple Officially Taking F1 Rights From ESPN in $700M Deal

ESPN has broadcast F1 in the U.S. since 2018.
WNBA
October 16, 2025

WNBA Says All-Star Game Will Return to Chicago Next Year

The league’s CBA expires in two weeks.
October 16, 2025

NHL Expansion Fee Soars to $2B As League’s Value Surges

The buy-in price for the league will more than triple.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 15, 2025

NHL Raises Concerns Over 2026 Olympic Arena’s Delayed Construction

The commissioner says construction progress in Italy remains a deep concern.
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena.
October 14, 2025

Dawn Staley Says NBA Far From Ready to Hire a Female Head..

South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach interviewed with the Knicks.
October 14, 2025

Cavaliers Go All In, Lead NBA With Record $392M Payroll

The Cavs are the only second-apron violator in the NBA.
Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and Portland Trail Blazers logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.
October 13, 2025

NBA Reopens Doors in China—and Eyes the WNBA Next

The Mavericks and Rockets are set to play games in Macao next year.