NBC returns to NBA Christmas Day broadcast

NBC resumes NBA coverage on opening night and Christmas Day as a record TV contract reshapes the schedule.

NBA Christmas Day slate lands big teams as NBC returns

NBC will air the opening night on October 21, featuring Oklahoma City on ring night against Houston, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers. The five Christmas Day games include Cleveland at New York, San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Houston at the Lakers, Dallas at Golden State, and Minnesota at Denver. The schedule marks the first NBA opener on NBC in 23 years.

This season also launches the league into an 11-year, $75 billion national TV deal, with Amazon joining the broadcasting mix and NBC rejoining the fold. ESPN and ABC remain partners for Christmas Day games, while TNT is no longer a league partner. The slate faces competition from three NFL games on Christmas, pushing the NBA to maximize marquee matchups and platform reach. Nielsen data from last year show strong viewership, with the Lakers-Warriors prime game drawing high numbers and overall Christmas ratings rising over previous years.

Injuries and player availability shape the marquee mix. Tyrese Haliburton is out for the Pacers after a torn Achilles, while Jayson Tatum will miss Celtics games, affecting potential East playoff rivalries. Victor Wembanyama is expected back for San Antonio after a blood clot kept him out late last season. The Cavs, returning to Christmas play for the first time since the LeBron era, will be watched for resilience as they face loaded competition in a shifting East. The NFL’s holiday slate also tightens the sprint for attention, but the NBA’s return to NBC and a new TV framework put the spotlight squarely on hoops.

The move to bring NBC back into the NBA fold signals a broader shift in how the league monetizes its marquee dates. The new deal cements a year-round attention strategy that blends streaming with traditional broadcasts, aiming to reach both hardcore fans and casual viewers. Yet the schedule leans heavily on star presence and historical matchups, which can be fragile when injuries strike. In a crowded holiday slate that now includes three NFL games, the NBA faces a delicate balancing act between delivering high-impact games and avoiding overexposure that risks viewer fatigue. The real test will be whether the alliance with streaming platforms translates into durable growth or simply redistributes audience across devices and time slots. The answer may reshape how the league negotiates future rights and how fans access big-name games on holidays.

Highlights

The holiday season will reveal how far the sport has moved toward a streaming era.