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The NBA’s 2026-2027 season begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, with the Detroit Pistons hosting the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena. The game starts at 10:00 p.m. local time in Türkiye (3:00 p.m. EDT). The league’s 81st season opens with a single game on its first day.
Three Turkish national team players are set to play in the NBA this season. Alperen Sengun plays for the Houston Rockets, Adem Bona for the Philadelphia 76ers and Tarik Biberovic for the Dallas Mavericks.
Sengun, a two-time All-Star, enters the season aiming to reach the playoffs with the Rockets once again. The 76ers, Bona’s team, have strengthened their roster with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown and are set to make a push for contention. Biberovic is set to play in the NBA for the first time with the Mavericks.
Sengun, 24, has become one of the league’s prominent names and enters his sixth NBA season. The Rockets finished fifth in the Western Conference last season. Sengun completed the regular season averaging 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks.
He became the first Turkish player selected as an All-Star in two consecutive years last season. The Rockets also reached the playoffs for the second time with Sengun on the roster.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks are among the leading candidates for the championship this season. The Knicks are the defending champions. The Spurs are led by French player Victor Wembanyama, while the Thunder have been among the league’s dominant teams in recent years. All three open the season with title aspirations.
James, 41, begins his 24th NBA season after playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. This season, he is set to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
James is the league’s all-time leading scorer and holds many records. He has won four championships, four regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and four Finals MVP awards. His 24th season extends his record for seasons played, and he will look to add new records and another championship ring to his career.
The regular season ends April 11, 2027. A play-in tournament among teams finishing seventh to 10th in each conference will be held April 13-16 to decide the final four playoff places. The playoffs start April 17.
The All-Star weekend takes place Feb. 19-21, 2027, in Phoenix.
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