Why is the NBA trying unusual start to its season?

The NBA is making history as it starts the 2026-2027 season. For the first time ever, the league will open its regular season with a triple-header.

NBA action starting at 3:00 PM ET? That's exactly what we get when the Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons . The New York Knicks raise their championship banner at 7:00 PM ET as LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers are in the house. The nightcap is one of the NBA's best rivalries. The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 PM ET. NBC/Peacock will broadcast all games nationally.

So why is the NBA trying something different this year?

Why is the first NBA regular season game at 3:00 PM ET?

NBA fans expect a standard double-header to start the regular season. You would probably get LeBron James, the defending champ, and maybe a young superstar-led squad. Now we're getting three games starting in the afternoon.

They're doing this just to be different. Professional sports leagues have to innovate, and this is one way Adam Silver is trying. Everyone is roasting the in-season tournament, and it ended up being pretty high-level basketball.

There isn't a day without MLB playoff games right now, and it's not an NFL game day either. There's no competition other than the NHL . These games feature big markets and mostly marketable superstars, so they could catch the attention of casual fans. They might choose to watch Jayson Tatum instead of a standard soap opera on TV.

The National Basketball Association is truly an international game now. International players have won eight straight NBA MVPs. People worldwide love watching the NBA and its biggest stars.

Games throughout the day let people in different time zones catch them in the morning or during the day. Some viewers around the world won't have to watch at crazy times in the middle of the night.