Victor Wembanyama for a first season with the Spurs, Bilal Coulibaly and his debut with Washington, the Denver Nuggets for a historic double, LeBron James for perhaps one last lap… The 2023-2024 NBA season promises to be crazy. The American basketball championship, the toughest in the world, resumes at the end of October, with a match in Paris scheduled for early January at the top of the season for fans in France. Here are the main dates to remember.
October 24, 2023: start of the regular season
4 months after the end of last season, the NBA is back for a 2023-2024 vintage which promises to be exceptional. The championship will resume on the night of October 24 to 25 with two big shocks. The Denver Nuggets, reigning champions, will open the ball against LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers at 1:30 a.m., followed by a tantalizing Golden State-Phoenix with the duel of former teammates Curry-Durant. To see Victor Wembanyama, you will have to wait until the next day and the poster between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks of a certain Luka Doncic.
November 3, 2023: start of the NBA Cup
For the first time in history, a tournament will be organized at the same time as the NBA regular season. From November 3 to December 9, the 30 franchises will compete in more than 60 matches in the “NBA In-Season Tournament 2023” or the “NBA Cup” by its other name. All games except the final will count toward the regular season standings.
For the format, six groups of five teams, three from the Eastern Conference and three from the Western Conference, were drawn based on last season’s results. Each team will play twice at home and twice away in the tournament, playing each member of the group once.
November 9, 2023: relocation to Mexico
Before going to Paris in January, the NBA will take a tour of the Mexican capital. On November 9, as part of the 2023 NBA Mexico City Game, the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic will face off in a regular season matchup.
January 11, 2024: the NBA Paris Game
A year after the showdown between Chicago and Detroit, the NBA is back in Paris on January 11. This time, French fans will meet the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Accor Arena. The official ticket office for the occasion will open on November 9 at 12 p.m. You will have to be quick since last year, all the places were sold out in less than 10 minutes. No huge stars a priori on the program but Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Mikal Bridges or even Ben Simmons will be ready to put on a great show.
February 16 to 18, 2024: All-Star Game
For the first time in almost 40 years, the NBA All-Star Game will take place in Indianapolis, on the Pacers side. The best players of the season, chosen by the fans, the best 3-point shooters and even the best dunkers will be there for the unmissable meeting of the NBA season. Will Victor Wembanyama be chosen in his first season in the NBA? Everything will depend on the French prodigy’s performance with Spurs.
April 14, 2024: end of regular season
After 82 games for each team, the regular season will end on April 14. To qualify for possible playoffs, you will have to finish at least among the top ten in each conference. The teams ranked between 7th and 10th place will compete the following week in a mini-championship to determine the last two franchises which will enter the playoffs.
From April 20, 2024: NBA playoffs
No change this year in the organization of the playoffs. Eight teams in each conference (East/West) will compete in a classic finals format in best-of-seven series for nearly two months. The first oppositions are decided according to the final ranking of the regular season with advantage of the floor for the best ranked teams.
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???? Check out the New Orleans Pelicans preview by @JMonclar
???? The arrival of James Borrego, the presence (or not) of Zion Williamson
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???? “If Zion plays 70 games, it will be the real good pick of the season” pic.twitter.com/7801TxBnU8— NBAextra (@NBAextra) October 15, 2023
June 6, 2024: start of the NBA Finals
Who will succeed the Denver Nuggets? Response from June 6. The two conference champions will face each other in the NBA Grand Finals, always the best of seven games. Last year, Nikola Jokic’s teammates dominated the Miami Heat (4-1) to win the first title in their history.
June 20, 2024: 2024 NBA Draft
As soon as the 2023-2024 season is over, we will quickly have our eyes turned towards the future and especially towards the draft, another essential event of the year in American basketball. If in 2023 Victor Wembanyama had been the first French number 1 in the draft, the 2024 vintage could be just as encouraging on the blue side. Alexandre Sarr, a young 18-year-old interior player (2.13 m) is announced in the first choices after his excellent performances with his Australian team, the Perth Wildcats.
From July 27 to August 10, 2024: Paris 2024 Olympic Games
It’s impossible not to add the schedule for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games here. A little over a month and a half after the end of the NBA Finals, the best players in the world will meet at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille then at the Accor Arena from July 27 to August 10 for the final. “Wemby”, Stephen Curry or even Kevin Durant could all be present to end their season in style.
