NBA New Season 2024-25: Start date, opening games, important dates and more
The NBA is in off-season right now but in less than two months, the world's biggest basketball league will be back in action. The Boston Celtics closed off last season after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the 2023-24 NBA champions.
However, a lot of big trades and moves have occurred since then, like one-half of the Warriors' Splash brothers, Klay Thompson, moving to the Dallas Mavericks.
This has excited the fans who are eagerly waiting for the new season to kick off. This article will tell you all about the important dates you need to know before the league starts its new chapter.
According to the official NBA release, the Celtics and the Nuggets will have their media day for the new season on 24 September. The practice for them can start the following day.
The rest of the team will have their media day on 30 September and can start practicing for the new season on 1 October.
October 12 and 13 will be the Enshrinement weekend for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The new season will shorty begin after that, on 22 October. The season will commence as usual and the trade deadline will close next year on 6 February 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
On 15-18 April, the second NBA In-Season Tournament will take place. The Lakers won the inaugural In-Season Tournament and will try to defend their title. Finally, on 19 April, the playoffs will begin, starting the Road to Finals.
NBA insider reveals Christmas Day games for the 2024-25 season
In addition to the new season kicking off, the matchups for the 2024-25 season's Christmas Day games have also been revealed. Shams Charania of The Athletic made a post on X revealing the much-anticipated matchups for the holiday season.
According to Charania, there will be a total of five games played on 23 December 2024.
There are quite a few interesting matchups and great rivalries that have the potential to give the fans a thrilling contest to remember. Here is the lineup for the Christmas Day games:
Three matchups stand apart from the rest. First is the Western Conference semi-final rematch between the Timberwolves and the Mavericks. The Wolves had given the Mavs tough competition in the series but thanks to Luka Doncic, they escaped defeat. This will be a chance for Anthony Edwards and the squad to get one back.
Another matchup in focus is the 76ers vs the Celtics. These two teams have a long-standing rivalry. Given that the Celtics will go into the game as defending champions, the match is already showing signs of being a thriller.
The last is the classic face-off between the two faces of the league: LeBron James vs Stephen Curry in the Warriors vs Lakers game.