When does the NBA pre-season schedule begin? Key early-season dates

The 2024-25 NBA season is right around the corner. We take a look at when the pre-season schedule begins.

Every day that passes, we're that much closer to the start of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Whether we're willing to believe it or not, the start of the new season will be here before we know it. With the NBA Draft, Free Agency, Summer League, and Olympic play already in the review mirror, there are no more checkpoints that need to be met before the start of the new season. The first sign of the new season beginning is the start of NBA Training Camps, which is slated for September 24, when the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics report.

The rest of the 28 teams in the league will report to their respective training camps a week later. The good news is that once training camps begin, that means the start of actual games is not that far off. Because once training camps are off and running, it also marks essentially the start of pre-season action in the Association.

When does the NBA pre-season schedule begin for the 2024-25 season?

Officially, the first NBA pre-season game will take place on October 4. The final day of the NBA pre-season is October 18. In the NBA, each team will play between 4-5 pre-season games during the month of October before the start of the regular season.

The NBA regular season then officially starts on Tuesday, October 22. At that point, the season will be in full swing, and long will be forgotten the dog days of the NBA offseason. The good news is that with the end of August upon us, it only means that the news surrounding the new NBA season is only going to pick up.

During the month of September, the start of the 2024-25 NBA season will get real. That's the moment when most around the league get into the NBA season preview move. And I'd argue that this portion of the season is quite underrated. This is the point in the season when nearly every fanbase can be excited about the new season. Every fanbase has hope. Whether it's understandable hope or not is irrelevant.

The idea that fans can't show delusional hope at times is the opposite of what sports is. Part of what makes sports amazing is the irrational hope that some fans can have. What fun is sports without that?

Nevertheless, the NBA offseason is nearly over and we've almost made it back to the basketball court.