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Predicting when the 2024-25 NBA schedule will be released

When will the schedule be released for the next NBA season?

By Reese Kunz

Jan 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) goes up for a dunk in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) goes up for a dunk in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2024 NBA Finals are still underway, but it's never too early to look forward to the 2024-25 NBA season; this is especially true if you're a Portland Trail Blazers fan looking forward to putting this 21-61 season in the rearview mirror.  By looking at past NBA schedule release dates, we can make an educated guess about when the schedule for next season will be released.

Prior NBA schedule release dates

Interestingly enough, the past three seasons have been the latest release dates in the past ten seasons, which could be a trend to factor into predicting the 2024-25 schedule release.

Here are the past ten NBA schedule release dates: 

  • 2023-24: Friday, August 18
  • 2022-23: Wednesday, August 17
  • 2021-22: Friday, August 20 
  • 2020-21: Friday, December 4
  • 2019-20: Monday, August 12
  • 2018-19: Friday, August 10
  • 2017-18: Monday, August 14
  • 2016-17: Thursday, August 17
  • 2015-16: Wednesday, August 12
  • 2014-15: Wednesday, August 13

The 2020-21 NBA schedule release date in December was an outlier due to COVID-19. Ruling that year out, the past scheduled releases have been between August 10 and 20.

Chat GPT was given these past ten dates and concluded that, based on the dates provided, "it's reasonable to expect it to be released around August 16-18, 2024." Because none of the prior ten schedules observed were released on the weekend, it makes sense to pick the Friday that lies within that provided range. 

Prediction: Friday, August 16, 2024. 

Scheduling considerations for NBA In-Season Tournament

The NBA In-Season Tournament will be something to monitor when the regular season schedule is released; this year was the first time the NBA implemented the In-Season Tournament. While it seemed to receive positive feedback overall, it will be interesting to see if they make any changes to it from a scheduling standpoint.

This year, the inaugural tournament took place on Friday, November 3. It seemed too close from the start of the season, which began on October 24. While the NBA may keep it in early November, they should also consider making it closer to mid-season. A later start date would give teams more time to see how all their new offseason additions mesh together, potentially resulting in a more competitive tournament.

It also gives rookies and younger players more opportunities to earn minutes within the team's rotations. The In-Season Tournament doesn't have any real incentive for teams to win (outside of financial motivation for players), so having their up-and-coming players get "tournament experience" could be more appealing if teams felt comfortable giving them minutes later in the season.

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