Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When Does the 2025 NBA Preseason Start? Key Dates, Complete NBA Preseason Schedule and More

The preseason will feature showdowns in Abu Dhabi, Macao, the Land Down Under, and beyond.

Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 NBA season is just around the corner, and it’s a no-brainer that the hype is as real as it can get. The regular season will be preceded by the NBA preseason, allowing fans to see lesser-known players take the court. It will kick off on October 2, presenting the preview of what the NBA season has in store. The preseason will feature showdowns in Abu Dhabi, Macao, the Land Down Under, and beyond. Though the hype around the preseason is underwhelming, it sets the stage for an unforgettable tournament schedule ahead.

2025 NBA Preseason Start Date and Key Contests

The NBA preseason will kick off on Thursday, October 2 with a game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. The game will be played at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates at 12 pm ET. Two days later, these teams will play their second preseason game at the same venue on October 4 at 11 am ET.

In other preseason games, the New Orleans Pelicans will lock horns against NBL teams at Melbourne Park in Australia on October 3 and 5. On October 6, action will move to Canada for the NBA Canada Series where Denver Nuggets will be up against the Toronto Raptors at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. It will be followed by NBA China Games on October 10 and 12 where the Brooklyn Nets encounter the Phoenix Suns at The Venetian Arena in Macao.

The last day of the NBA preseason will be Friday, October 17, where eight games will be played. In the final game, the Sacramento Kings will be up against the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 pm ET.

Complete 2025 NBA Preseason Schedule

Date	Away	Home	Venue
Oct 2, 202512:00 PM ET	Philadelphia	New York	Etihad ArenaYas Island, Abu DhabiNBA Abu Dhabi Games
Oct 3, 20255:30 AM ET	Melbourne United	New Orleans	Rod Laver ArenaMelbourne, VictoriaNBA x NBL Melbourne Series
Oct 3, 202510:00 PM ET	Phoenix	L.A. Lakers	Acrisure ArenaPalm Springs, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 4, 202511:00 AM ET	New York	Philadelphia	Etihad ArenaYas Island, Abu DhabiNBA Abu Dhabi Games
Oct 4, 20258:00 PM ET	Hapoel Jerusalem	Brooklyn	Barclays CenterBrooklyn, New YorkNBA Global Games
Oct 4, 20258:00 PM ET	Orlando	Miami	Jose Miguel Agrelot ColiseumSan Juan, Puerto RicoNBA Puerto Rico Game
Oct 4, 20259:00 PM ET	Minnesota	Denver	Pechanga ArenaSan Diego, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 5, 20252:30 AM ET	South East Melbourne	New Orleans	Rod Laver ArenaMelbourne, VictoriaNBA x NBL Melbourne Series
Oct 5, 20255:00 PM ET	Oklahoma City	Charlotte	North Charleston ColiseumNorth Charleston, South CarolinaPreseason
Oct 5, 20258:30 PM ET	L.A. Lakers	Golden State	Chase CenterSan Francisco, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 6, 20257:30 PM ET	Milwaukee	Miami	Kaseya CenterMiami, FloridaPreseason
Oct 6, 20258:00 PM ET	Detroit	Memphis	FedExForumMemphis, TennesseePreseason
Oct 6, 20258:00 PM ET	Guangzhou Loong Lions	San Antonio	Frost Bank CenterSan Antonio, TexasNBA Global Games China
Oct 6, 20258:00 PM ET	Atlanta	Houston	Toyota Center (Houston)Houston, TexasPreseason
Oct 6, 20258:30 PM ET	Oklahoma City	Dallas	Dickies ArenaFort Worth, TexasPreseason
Oct 6, 202510:00 PM ET	Denver	Toronto	Rogers ArenaVancouver, British ColumbiaNBA Canada Series
Oct 7, 20257:00 PM ET	Chicago	Cleveland	Rocket ArenaCleveland, OhioPreseason
Oct 7, 20258:00 PM ET	Indiana	Minnesota	Target CenterMinneapolis, MinnesotaPreseason
Oct 8, 20257:30 PM ET	San Antonio	Miami	Kaseya CenterMiami, FloridaPreseason
Oct 8, 20258:00 PM ET	Boston	Memphis	FedExForumMemphis, TennesseePreseason
Oct 8, 20258:00 PM ET	Utah	Houston	Toyota Center (Houston)Houston, TexasPreseason
Oct 8, 202510:00 PM ET	Toronto	Sacramento	Golden 1 CenterSacramento, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 8, 202510:00 PM ET	Portland	Golden State	Chase CenterSan Francisco, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 9, 20257:30 PM ET	Minnesota	New York	Madison Square GardenNew York, New YorkPreseason
Oct 9, 20258:00 PM ET	Cleveland	Chicago	United CenterChicago, IllinoisPreseason
Oct 9, 20258:00 PM ET	Charlotte	Oklahoma City	Paycom CenterOklahoma City, OklahomaPreseason
Oct 9, 20258:00 PM ET	Detroit	Milwaukee	Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, WisconsinPreseason
Oct 9, 202510:30 PM ET	Guangzhou Loong Lions	L.A. Clippers	Frontwave ArenaOceanside, CaliforniaNBA Global Games China
Oct 10, 20258:00 AM ET	Phoenix	Brooklyn	Venetian ArenaCotai, MacauNBA China Games
Oct 10, 20257:00 PM ET	Orlando	Philadelphia	Xfinity Mobile ArenaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPreseason
Oct 10, 20257:00 PM ET	Boston	Toronto	Scotiabank ArenaToronto, OntarioPreseason
Oct 10, 20258:00 PM ET	Utah	San Antonio	Frost Bank CenterSan Antonio, TexasPreseason
Oct 10, 202510:00 PM ET	Sacramento	Portland	Moda CenterPortland, OregonPreseason
Oct 11, 20257:00 PM ET	Oklahoma City	Indiana	Gainbridge FieldhouseIndianapolis, IndianaPreseason
Oct 11, 20258:00 PM ET	Atlanta	Memphis	FedExForumMemphis, TennesseePreseason
Oct 11, 20258:30 PM ET	Charlotte	Dallas	American Airlines CenterDallas, TexasPreseason
Oct 12, 20257:00 AM ET	Brooklyn	Phoenix	Venetian ArenaCotai, MacauNBA China Games
Oct 12, 20253:00 PM ET	Toronto	Washington	Capital One ArenaWashington, District of ColumbiaPreseason
Oct 12, 20256:00 PM ET	Miami	Orlando	Kia CenterOrlando, FloridaPreseason
Oct 12, 20257:00 PM ET	Cleveland	Boston	TD GardenBoston, MassachusettsPreseason
Oct 12, 20257:00 PM ET	Milwaukee	Chicago	United CenterChicago, IllinoisPreseason
Oct 12, 20259:30 PM ET	Denver	L.A. Clippers	Intuit DomeInglewood, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 12, 20259:30 PM ET	Golden State	L.A. Lakers	crypto.com ArenaLos Angeles, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 13, 20256:00 PM ET	Miami	Atlanta	State Farm ArenaAtlanta, GeorgiaPreseason
Oct 13, 20257:00 PM ET	San Antonio	Indiana	Gainbridge FieldhouseIndianapolis, IndianaPreseason
Oct 13, 20257:30 PM ET	Washington	New York	Madison Square GardenNew York, New YorkPreseason
Oct 13, 20258:00 PM ET	Guangzhou Loong Lions	Minnesota	Target CenterMinneapolis, MinnesotaNBA Global Games China
Oct 13, 20259:00 PM ET	Dallas	Utah	Delta CenterSalt Lake City, UtahPreseason
Oct 14, 20257:00 PM ET	Detroit	Cleveland	Rocket ArenaCleveland, OhioPreseason
Oct 14, 20258:00 PM ET	Houston	New Orleans	Legacy ArenaBirmingham, AlabamaPreseason
Oct 14, 20258:00 PM ET	Oklahoma City	Milwaukee	Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, WisconsinPreseason
Oct 14, 20259:00 PM ET	Chicago	Denver	Ball ArenaDenver, ColoradoPreseason
Oct 14, 202510:00 PM ET	L.A. Lakers	Phoenix	PHX ArenaPhoenix, ArizonaPreseason
Oct 14, 202510:00 PM ET	Golden State	Portland	Moda CenterPortland, OregonPreseason
Oct 15, 20257:00 PM ET	Memphis	Charlotte	Greensboro ComplexGreensboro, North CarolinaPreseason
Oct 15, 20257:30 PM ET	Toronto	Boston	TD GardenBoston, MassachusettsPreseason
Oct 15, 202510:00 PM ET	L.A. Clippers	Sacramento	Golden 1 CenterSacramento, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 15, 202510:00 PM ET	Dallas	L.A. Lakers	T-Mobile ArenaLas Vegas, NevadaPreseason
Oct 16, 20257:00 PM ET	New Orleans	Orlando	Kia CenterOrlando, FloridaPreseason
Oct 16, 20257:00 PM ET	Washington	Detroit	Little Caesars ArenaDetroit, MichiganPreseason
Oct 16, 20257:30 PM ET	Houston	Atlanta	State Farm ArenaAtlanta, GeorgiaPreseason
Oct 16, 20258:00 PM ET	Minnesota	Chicago	United CenterChicago, IllinoisPreseason
Oct 16, 20259:00 PM ET	Portland	Utah	Delta CenterSalt Lake City, UtahPreseason
Oct 17, 20257:00 PM ET	Minnesota	Philadelphia	Xfinity Mobile ArenaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPreseason
Oct 17, 20257:00 PM ET	Brooklyn	Toronto	Scotiabank ArenaToronto, OntarioPreseason
Oct 17, 20257:30 PM ET	Charlotte	New York	Madison Square GardenNew York, New YorkPreseason
Oct 17, 20258:00 PM ET	Memphis	Miami	Kaseya CenterMiami, FloridaPreseason
Oct 17, 20258:00 PM ET	Denver	Oklahoma City	Paycom CenterOklahoma City, OklahomaPreseason
Oct 17, 20258:00 PM ET	Indiana	San Antonio	Frost Bank CenterSan Antonio, TexasPreseason
Oct 17, 202510:00 PM ET	L.A. Clippers	Golden State	Chase CenterSan Francisco, CaliforniaPreseason
Oct 17, 202510:30 PM ET	Sacramento	L.A. Lakers	crypto.com ArenaLos Angeles, CaliforniaPreseason

2025 NBA Preseason

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.