NBA Borrows NFL Playbook

Afternoon Edition

August 11, 2026

Over three days, the NBA is revealing its 2026–27 schedule, a multiday effort that echoes what has been perfected by the NFL.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

First at FOS: The SEC’s Netflix docuseries isn’t returning for a second season this year, but the conference’s tie-up with the streamer isn’t necessarily one-and-done.
Exclusive: Project B, the new global basketball league, says it will follow IOC and FIBA guidelines for its gender eligibility requirements amid the WNBA saga.
The president of CBS Sports says there’s “no timetable” for Tony Romo’s return after he was placed on leave following his arrest for OWI.
President Donald Trump chimed in on rising opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying it would be a “terrible mistake” if FIFA considered replacing him.

NBA Takes a Page From NFL With Schedule Unveiling

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The NBA is looking to flex its own viewership muscle with Tuesday’s release of the initial part of its 2026–27 regular-season schedule, but the influence of the NFL was still impossible to miss.

The run-up to the NBA season began in earnest with the unveiling of the league’s opening night and Christmas Day games, with each set of contests leaning heavily in to marquee teams and players such as the defending champion Knicks, the Spurs and their phenom Victor Wembanyama, and the 76ers and newly acquired icon LeBron James.

The announcement of these games precedes Wednesday’s drop of additional showcase and NBA Cup games, and Thursday’s planned release of the entire 2026–27 slate. While the NBA has used various strategies over the years for its schedule unveiling, including a multiday effort last year with the arrival of new media-rights deals, this latest effort echoes the one now perfected by the NFL.

In May, the NFL and each of its domestic rights holders conducted a series of high-profile game reveals over a three-day period in advance of the full schedule drop on May 14.

For the NBA, the schedule dynamics are somewhat different, as the league still plays more than four times the number of games as the NFL does. But the core principles are very much the same: Both leagues are rallying heavily around their top teams and players, have a major presence during many fall and winter holidays, and want to establish as much early-season viewership momentum as possible.

A New Window for Appointment Viewing

While the 76ers-Knicks game in primetime on the NBA’s Oct. 20 opening, which will be ring night for defending champion New York, is clearly the showcase matchup of the day, the 3 p.m. ET contest between the Celtics and Pistons that day to begin the entire league schedule jumps out in its own way.

That afternoon clash on NBC features the top two Eastern Conference teams entering last season’s playoffs, and it extends a fast-growing trend around top sports events increasingly happening in weekday broadcast windows.

The recently concluded FIFA men’s World Cup, of course, showcased that dynamic, but recent Nielsen enhancements in measuring out-of-home viewership have made these nontraditional slots much more viable. Each of the other major U.S. pro sports leagues now has some type of meaningful presence in daytime windows.

The afternoon slot for the Celtics-Pistons game, meanwhile, will be a primetime broadcast in Europe when accounting for the time difference. That territory is increasingly important, particularly as the NBA is planning to begin a separate league there next year.

Christmas Clash

The NBA, meanwhile, will once again have a five-game slate of games on Christmas Day on ESPN and ABC, highlighted by a 2026 Finals rematch between the Spurs and Knicks, and then involving marquee teams such as the Celtics, 76ers, Lakers, Thunder, and Warriors.

That slate will go up against the NFL’s heightened presence across the holiday. After the NFL stages a Christmas Eve game between the Texans and Eagles on Amazon, it will have a Christmas Day tripleheader starting with a classic NFC North rivalry game between the Packers and Bears, followed by a 2025 playoff rematch between the Bills and Broncos, with both those streamed on Netflix, ending with a primetime matchup on Fox between the Rams and Seahawks.

There will likely be no contest in viewership, as the NFL’s 2025 Christmas games averaged 22.8 million viewers compared to the NBA’s 5.5 million viewers on the day.

Each league, however, continues to maximize its efforts to draw fans during the holiday. The NBA was also clearly mindful to not have any home-market overlaps between its own Christmas games and the NFL’s tripleheader. In particular, the Lakers will host the 76ers at 5 p.m ET in Los Angeles, with that game almost certainly done before the Rams face the Seahawks that evening in Seattle.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Inside Sports’s Investment Boom

Ric Best, head of prediction markets at Susquehanna; Alex Bhathal, founder of RAJ Sports and alternate governor of the Portland Fire; Lisa Bhathal Merage, governor of the Portland Fire and cofounder of RAJ Capital; Peter Freund, CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings; and Marc Lasry, chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Avenue Capital Group, are among the leaders shaping the next era of sports investment—and you can hear from them firsthand at Asset Class.

On Sept. 15, Asset Class returns to Manhattan, bringing together the investors and executives redefining the business of sports.

Led by FOS deals reporter Ben Horney, the event will explore the trends, transactions, and capital strategies driving the industry forward—from the rise of women’s sports and evolving ownership models to new opportunities across leagues, teams, and emerging markets.

Additional speakers will be announced soon. Request to attend now.

ONE BIG FIG

A King and a Crown

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

$2,200

That’s how much tickets are fetching on SeatGeek for the NBA season opener, with the Knicks hosting the Sixers.

That night, the Knicks will raise their first championship banner since 1973, and LeBron James will make his debut as a Sixer.

EXCLUSIVE

David Ross, Anthony Rizzo Rebranding Volume Podcast

The Volume

David Ross and Anthony Rizzo are relaunching The Lovable Reunion podcast with The Volume and rebranding it as Ross & Rizzo Unfiltered, a rep for the podcast network confirmed to Front Office Sports.

The former Cubs teammates were part of the franchise’s iconic 2016 World Series championship team. The rebranded show will encompass all of MLB, not just the Cubs.

Ross told FOS the “main contributing factor” of continuing the show with Rizzo was because “I just enjoy being around him.”

STATUS REPORT

Two Up, Two Push

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Seahawks ⬆⬇ The reigning Super Bowl champions hosted a tryout for Terrion Arnold, the cornerback cut by the Lions in June following his arrest on felony kidnapping and armed robbery charges. The Seahawks are among several teams, including the Texans and the Saints, who have shown interest in Arnold.

Cooper Flagg ⬆ The NBA Rookie of the Year’s 1-of-1 rookie card was found in Rhode Island on Monday. The card, which Flagg signed at Fanatics Fest in July, is expected to be auctioned for at least $1 million based on comparable sales. The Mavericks have offered a package that includes 32 years of premium season tickets—among other perks—in exchange for the card.

Quinnen Williams ⬆ The Cowboys have signed the defensive tackle to a three-year, $105.9 million extension with $101 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. The deal keeps the four-time Pro Bowler in Dallas through 2030. Williams, 28, has averaged 33 quarterback pressures in just seven games with the Cowboys.

DiJonai Carrington ⬆⬇ The Chicago Sky guard said Monday that her flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham on Saturday was “never intentional.” Carrington declined to comment on her since-deleted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” social media post but said she had spoken to the league about consistency in officiating. Cunningham called the foul “unnecessary” and said Carrington was “just trying to get attention.”