With the 2024-25 National Basketball Association (NBA) season quickly approaching, all 30 NBA teams are making final preparations ahead of what promises to be one of the most competitive seasons in history.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season:
When does the 2024-25 NBA season start?
The new NBA season begins on Tuesday, October 22 with the visit of the New York Knicks to the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, starting at 23:30 GMT (6:30 pm local time) at the TD Garden Arena from Boston.
What is the format?
- In the regular season, the 30 teams play 82 games over a period of seven months.
- At the end of the season, the top six teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences will automatically qualify for the postseason.
- The next best teams, ranked 7th through 10th from both conferences, will participate in a play-in tournament to secure the remaining seventh and eighth postseason spots in each conference.
Who are the favorites to win the title?
- In the Eastern Conference, the NBA champion Boston Celtics are the consensus choice of bookmakers and league executives to win the conference again, and they are also the favorite team to repeat as champions. Many basketball commentators consider the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers to be the biggest threats to Boston in the east.
- In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the lowest odds of winning the conference. Behind them are several strong contenders for the title: the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks, runners-up in the NBA last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns.
What are the key dates of the 2024-25 NBA calendar?
- October 22, 2024: NBA regular season begins
- November 2, 2024: NBA Mexico City 2024 match (Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards)
- November 12, 2024: Emirates NBA Cup (seasonal tournament) begins
- December 17, 2024: NBA Emirates Cup Championship
- January 23 and 25, 2025: NBA Paris Games (San Antonio Spurs vs Indiana Pacers)
- February 6, 2025: NBA trade deadline
- February 14-16, 2025: NBA All-Star Game (held in San Francisco, California)
- April 13, 2025: NBA regular season ends
- April 15-18: NBA play-in tournament
- April 19: The NBA Playoffs begin
- June: NBA Finals (exact dates to be determined)
Three trend stories to follow this season
#1. LeBron and Bronny James: the first father-son duo to play together on an NBA team
The countdown is on for when the NBA's all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, becomes the first player to share the court with his son.
LeBron's team, the Los Angeles Lakers, will play their first game of the regular season on Tuesday, October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Will this be the day history is made between father and son, or will it last well into the season?
#2. The MVP race: SGA vs Luka
Oddsmakers predict that Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be the top two contenders for the NBA regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Last season, both players put up outrageously impressive numbers: SGA averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games; and Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds in 70 games.
In addition to the tantalizing MVP race between this pair, the two superstars play in the same conference and their teams have an emerging rivalry after they played six games in a tight Western Conference second-round matchup last season with Doncic's team prevailing.
#3. NBA teams fighting for Cooper Flagg draft
Flagg might be the most hyped rookie small forward prospect since Lebron James was selected in the 2003 draft.
Flagg, 17, isn't even in the NBA yet and recently committed to play for US powerhouse Duke University for the 2024-25 season.
But with the six-foot-nine-inch Newport, Maine, native considered the consensus No. 1 pick in next year's draft, several NBA teams are expected to tank, a common practice through which teams that are already in difficulty are incentivized to lose. more, to increase his chances of landing the number one pick in the 2025 draft.
With Flagg as a potential franchise-saving star on the horizon, the 2024-25 NBA season could be defined as much by the race to the bottom of the standings as it is to the top.
What key players moved teams during the offseason?
#1. Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers
Long considered an archetypal small forward in today's NBA (tall, great shooter and with strong defensive and passing skills), George signed as a free agent with the 76ers in the offseason after spending the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. .
Nicknamed “PG-13,” George is a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the All-NBA Team, as well as a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team.
The 34-year-old's arrival in Philadelphia completes perhaps the NBA's most lethal “Big Three” combination heading into the 2024-25 season, with George joining forces with former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, and the most improved player in the league since last time. season, guard Tyrese Maxey.
#2. Karl Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks
The 6-foot-11 center forward was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the New York Knicks, where he will join mercurial point guard Jaylen Brunson as one of the league's most lethal 1-2 combinations.
A four-time NBA All-Star, Towns is one of 10 players in NBA history to have averaged at least 22 points and 10 rebounds per game over their career (minimum of 500 total games).
The arrival of the 28-year-old player to the famous Knicks franchise elevates them to one of the favorites for the NBA title for the 2024-25 season.
The Knicks hope Towns' arrival at Madison Square Garden will give their long-suffering fans their first NBA title since 1973.
Where did the 30 teams finish last season?
2023-24 NBA standings (Eastern Conference) and win-loss record:
Boston Celtics 64-18
New York Knicks 50-32
Milwaukee Bucks 49-33
Cleveland Knights 48-34
Magical Orlando 47-35
Indiana Pacers 47-35
Philadelphia 76ers 47-35
Miami Heat 46-36
Chicago Bulls 39-43
Atlanta Falcons 36-46
Brooklyn Networks 32-50
Toronto Raptors 25-57
Charlotte Hornets 21-61
Washington Wizards 15-67
Detroit Pistons 14-68
2023-24 NBA standings (Western Conference) and win-loss record:
Oklahoma City Thunder 57-25
Denver Nuggets 57-25
Minnesota Timberwolves 56-26
Los Angeles Clippers 51-31
Dallas Mavericks 50-32
Phoenix Suns 49-33
New Orleans Pelicans 49-33
Los Angeles Lakers 47-35
Kings of Sacramento 46-36
Golden State Warriors 46-36
Houston Rockets 41-41
Utah Jazz 31-51
Memphis Grizzlies 27-55
San Antonio Spurs 22-60
Portland Trail Blazers 21-61
How to watch the 2024-25 NBA season?
NBA League Pass continues to offer out-of-market games, live access to NBA TV and on-demand replays of every game. Check your local TV guides for cable/satellite services in your region.
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera's dedicated basketball page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text commentary on select NBA games throughout the 2024-25 season.
