The 2026/27 NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, featuring three live games broadcast in Germany on Sky Sport. Fans can follow the opening night matchups across Sky Sport Mix, Sky Sport Top Event, and Sky Sport 01, with coverage spanning the opening tip-off through the NBA Finals in June 2027.
Opening Night Matchups Feature Celtics, Knicks, and Spurs
Action begins at 20:45 on October 20, 2026, when the Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons in a matchup between the two best teams of the past regular season in the Eastern Conference. Frank Buschmann and Oscar da Silva will handle commentary for the opener. At 01:00 CEST in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the NBA-champion New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks enter the night celebrating their first title in 53 years, while Philadelphia debuts new addition LeBron James. Markus Krawinkel and Bastian Doreth provide commentary for the New York fixture. The opening night schedule concludes at 03:30 as Victor Wembanyma and the San Antonio Spurs face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who faced each other in the previous Western Conference Finals.
Broadcasting Schedule and Expert Lineup on Sky Sport
Sky Sport holds exclusive broadcasting rights in Germany for the complete NBA Finals in June 2027. Throughout the 81st NBA regular season, the network plans to broadcast an average of six live games per week. Coverage also includes selected matchups from the first two rounds of the playoffs, one live Conference Finals series, and one Conference Finals series shown on a re-live basis, alongside the Christmas Day games and the NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix from February 19 to 21, 2027.
Patrick Femerling joins the Sky Sport expert roster for the new campaign. Femerling will alternate as a co-commentator alongside Olympic champion Svenja Brunckhorst, European champion Oscar da Silva, and former national team players Mithat Demirel and Bastian Doreth. Weekly broadcasts feature a designated “NBA Game of the Week” with German commentary from voices including Martin Gräfe, alongside reporter Aurelia Rieke. Viewers can also access the original US commentary feed for all live broadcasts.
WNBA Finals Run Concurrently on Sky Sport
Prior to the NBA tip-off, Sky Sport covers the conclusion of the WNBA season as the Golden State Valkyries face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. Game 1 airs Saturday at 21:30 CEST. Games 2 and 3 follow at 02:00 CEST on Tuesday and Thursday nights respectively, with Game 4 scheduled for Saturday at 19:00 CEST.
Accessing Live Coverage Across Platforms
All live broadcasts of the NBA and WNBA on Sky Sport require a subscription to the Sky Sport package, available via Sky and WOW. In addition to full live matches, Sky Sport provides archival material, magazines, and selected video clips free of charge without a subscription via its official website, mobile application, and social media channels.
