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    organization

    National Basketball Association (NBA)

    Also known as NBA, National Basketball Association

    The National Basketball Association (NBA) is North America's top professional basketball league, with 30 teams that each play 82 regular-season games.[1][2] Its 81st season starts on 20 October 2026, with the New York Knicks as defending champions.[3][4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated WikiSports
    Key facts

    The National Basketball Association is the top professional basketball league in North America. Its 30 teams play in two conferences, East and West, and each plays 82 regular-season games.[5][2] The 2026-27 season, which begins on 20 October 2026, is its 81st.[3][6] Live updates are in the 2026-27 season tracker.

    How a season is built

    The regular season runs from late October to mid-April. In 2026-27 it ends on 11 April 2027.[7] Inside it sits the NBA Cup, an in-season tournament whose group and early knockout games also count in the standings.[2] The 2026 Cup final is on 11 December at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.[8]

    After the regular season, the top six teams in each conference go straight to the playoffs. Teams seventh to tenth enter the Play-In Tournament for the last two places in each conference.[9] Owners made the Play-In permanent in 2022.[10] The full rules are in How the NBA season works.

    Recent champions

    The Knicks won the 2026 title, beating the Spurs 4-1. It was their first championship since 1973, and Jalen Brunson was Finals MVP.[4][11] The series averaged 20.6 million viewers, the most for a Finals since 1998.[12] The year before, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2024-25 title after losing the 2024 Cup final.[13]

    NBA Cup winners so far are the Lakers (2023), the Bucks (2024) and the Knicks (2025). The 2025-26 Knicks were the first team to win the Cup and the championship in the same season.[14][15]

    Media rights

    The 2025-26 season began 11-year national media agreements with Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video). 2026-27 is the second year.[16] The deals returned the NBA to NBC for the first time since 2002.[17] In 2026-27 ABC/ESPN have 80 regular-season games, NBC/Peacock 100 and Prime Video 66.[18] ABC keeps the Finals.[19] NBA.com reported 170 million viewers for the first season of the deals, the most in 24 years.[20] Viewing options are compared in How to watch the NBA in 2026-27.

    International games

    The NBA plays some games abroad. Its 2026 preseason included two Mavericks-Rockets games in Macao.[21] In the 2026-27 regular season the Nuggets play the Pacers in Mexico City, and the Spurs play the Pelicans in Paris and Manchester in January 2027.[22]

    Next in the crash course

    More in Sports

    Questions readers ask

    How many teams are in the NBA?

    Thirty, split into the Eastern and Western conferences. For the NBA Cup they are drawn into three groups of five in each conference.[5]

    How many games does each NBA team play?

    Each team plays 82 regular-season games. NBA Cup games count toward that total, except the Cup final.[2]

    Who are the reigning NBA champions?

    The New York Knicks, who beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 Finals for their first title since 1973.[4]

    Which networks show the NBA in the US?

    Since 2025-26 national games have been split between Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video) under 11-year agreements.[16]

    When did the Play-In Tournament become permanent?

    NBA owners voted in July 2022 to make it a full-time part of the path to the playoffs.[10]

    Sources

    · 23 claims from 2 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      In NBA Cup group play, the 30 teams are drawn into groups of five within their conference, based on the previous season's records, and each plays four group games, two at home and two away. confirmedas of 2026-08-12

    2. [2]

      All 67 NBA Cup games except the championship count toward the regular-season standings, and each team still plays 82 regular-season games. confirmedas of 2026-08-12

    3. [3]

      The 2026-27 season is the NBA's 81st season. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    4. [4]

      The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, their first championship since 1973. confirmedas of 2026-06-14

    5. [5]

      The 2026 NBA Cup groups are West A (Nuggets, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz), West B (Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, Grizzlies), West C (Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings), East A (Pistons, Raptors, Magic, Bucks, Nets), East B (Knicks, Cavaliers, 76ers, Heat, Pacers) and East C (Celtics, Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Wizards). confirmedas of 2026-07-01

    6. [6]

      The 2026-27 NBA regular season starts on 20 October 2026 with an NBC/Peacock tripleheader of Celtics vs. Pistons, 76ers vs. Knicks and Thunder vs. Spurs. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    7. [7]

      The 2026-27 NBA regular season ends on 11 April 2027, the Play-In Tournament runs 13-16 April and the playoffs begin on 17 April 2027. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    8. [8]

      The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup group play runs from 30 October to 27 November 2026, with quarterfinals on 4-5 December, semifinals on 8 and/or 9 December and the championship on 11 December at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    9. [9]

      Teams finishing 1st to 6th in each conference go straight to the playoffs; teams 7th to 10th enter the Play-In Tournament for the 7th and 8th seeds. confirmedas of 2026-04-18

    10. [10]

      NBA owners voted in July 2022 to make the Play-In Tournament a permanent part of the postseason. confirmedas of 2022-07-13

    11. [11]

      Jalen Brunson was the 2026 NBA Finals MVP after scoring a Knicks Finals-record 45 points in the clinching Game 5. confirmedas of 2026-06-14

    12. [12]

      The 2026 NBA Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, the most-watched Finals since 1998. confirmedas of 2026-06-16

    13. [13]

      The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2024-25 NBA championship after losing the 2024 NBA Cup final. confirmedas of 2026-07-01

    14. [14]

      Past NBA Cup winners are the Lakers (2023), the Bucks (2024) and the Knicks (2025). confirmedas of 2026-07-01

    15. [15]

      The 2025-26 Knicks were the first team to win the NBA Cup and the NBA championship in the same season; they beat the Spurs 124-113 in the 2025 Cup final. confirmedas of 2026-07-01

    16. [16]

      The 2026-27 season is the second of the NBA's 11-year media agreements with Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video). confirmedas of 2026-08-13

    17. [17]

      The 2025-26 season returned the NBA to NBC for the first time since 2002. confirmedas of 2025-10-21

    18. [18]

      In 2026-27 ABC/ESPN will show 80 regular-season games, NBC/Peacock 100 and Prime Video 66. confirmedas of 2026-08-13

    19. [19]

      For 2026-27, ABC has the NBA Finals and ESPN platforms the 2027 Western Conference finals, while Prime Video has all six Play-In games and the 2027 Eastern Conference finals. confirmedas of 2026-08-13

    20. [20]

      NBA.com reported that the 2025-26 regular season drew 170 million viewers across its national partners, the most in 24 years. confirmedas of 2026-08-13

    21. [21]

      The NBA China Games 2026 are two Mavericks-Rockets preseason games at The Venetian Arena in Macao on 9 and 11 October 2026. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    22. [22]

      The Spurs and Pelicans are scheduled to play regular-season games in Paris on 14 January 2027 and Manchester on 17 January 2027, both on Prime Video, and the Nuggets play the Pacers in Mexico City on 7 November 2026. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    23. [23]

      In the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa (BYU) went No. 1 to the Wizards, followed by Darryn Peterson (Kansas) to the Jazz, Cameron Boozer (Duke) to the Grizzlies, Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) to the Bulls and Keaton Wagler (Illinois) to the Clippers. confirmedas of 2026-06-24

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 11, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "National Basketball Association (NBA)." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/national-basketball-association

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