2026-27 Schedule Release
Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball set to make debuts on ESPN during Opening Week
Miami faces Minnesota on Wed., Oct 21 to begin two ESPN doubleheaders during Opening Week of the 2026-27 season.
Jeff Zillgitt | Archive | August 11, 2026 4:44 PM
Can’t wait to see Giannis Antetokounmpo play his first regular-season game for the Miami Heat? Or excited to see LaMelo Ball make his debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves? ESPN has you covered as the network tips off its coverage of the 2026-27 season on Wednesday, October 21 with a star-packed, championship-loaded doubleheader:
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
It’s a lineup featuring MVPs and champions (Golden State’s Steph Curry and Antetokounmpo) and players seeking their first title and MVP (Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Los Angeles’ Luka Dončić).
A BRAND NEW NBA SEASON 🍿
ESPN has FOUR opening week matchups you won’t want to miss 👀
— ESPN (@espn) August 11, 2026
ESPN follows the next day, Thursday, October 22, with another doubleheader featuring more champions and MVPs:
- Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The new-look 76ers added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in the offseason to go alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and the Cavaliers feature Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the 2017-18 MVP. James is a four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP; Brown is a Finals MVP; and Embiid and Harden are regular-season MVPs.
Denver, which won a championship in 2023 behind Nikola Jokić’s Finals MVP performance, and Oklahoma City, which won a title in 2025 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Finals MVP effort, still have their sights set on another title. Jokić is also a three-time regular-season MVP, and Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning two-time regular-season MVP.
Add it up and you have eight players combining for nine Finals MVPs and 15 regular-season MVPs playing on ESPN’s opening week coverage.
Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at [email protected], find his archive here and follow him on X.
Related
- 2026-27 marquee early-season games announced — Opening Week and NBA on Christmas Day matchups were revealed during Good Morning America, TODAY and CBS Mornings.
- Finals rematch tips off 5-game Christmas Day slate — The defending champion Knicks host the Spurs, while LeBron returns to L.A. on star-studded 5-game Christmas Day slate.
- Two marquee matchups headline Prime opening week — The Knicks travel to Boston to face the Celtics before the Rockets take on the Spurs in Austin.
- Knicks host Sixers on 3-game opening night — Detroit hosts Boston to tip off the action before New York faces Philly and OKC battles San Antonio.