The NBA has started rolling out the 2026-27 calendar, and the league is leaning into two of its showcase dates: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day.
The first holiday slate comes on Jan. 18, when the action begins at noon ET with Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons visiting Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. That is followed at 2:30 p.m. ET by the Philadelphia 76ers facing the Atlanta Hawks, with LeBron James in the mix.
Atlanta, the city where Dr. King was born, will host NBA games on MLK Day for the 36th time, which is second-most in league history. It also extends the franchise’s run to 28 straight appearances on the holiday.
The NBA schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 18) will feature an NBC Sports quadrupleheader.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 12, 2026
The action begins with a 2026 Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch between the Pistons and Cavaliers, with additional matchups in Atlanta, New York and Memphis.
NBA… pic.twitter.com/vEk0JOkXA9
The day continues in New York, where the defending NBA champion Knicks will host Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves at 5:00 p.m. ET.
The final game of the MLK Day slate is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, when the Houston Rockets meet the Memphis Grizzlies.
Memphis has become a regular part of the league’s MLK Day programming, with last season the lone exception because the Grizzlies were playing overseas. The city also carries added meaning on this date, as it was the site of Dr. King’s final campaign in support of striking African-American sanitation workers before he was assassinated on the night of April 4, 1968.
The league and its teams will again mark the day by honoring King’s legacy in different ways as part of the NBA’s broader push to preserve his memory and continue the fight for social justice and equality.
A month later, right before the All-Star break, the NBA will stage a four-game Presidents’ Day schedule on Feb. 15, 2027.
That day opens with the Timberwolves traveling to the Charlotte Hornets, a game that will mark LaMelo Ball’s first trip back to his former team since the summer’s blockbuster trade sent the former No. 3 overall pick to Minnesota. Tipoff is slated for around noon ET.
At 2:30 p.m. ET, the 76ers will play the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup that brings LeBron James and Kyrie Irving back together on the floor. The two won the 2016 championship as the leaders of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and this game also gives James another meeting with Cooper Flagg in a clash of the NBA’s past and future.
The third game of Presidents’ Day lands in Miami, where Victor Wembanyama and the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs will face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat at 5 p.m. ET.
An NBC Sports quadrupleheader will highlight the NBA schedule on Presidents' Day (Monday, Feb. 15).
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 12, 2026
The four-game lineup opens with Minnesota's LaMelo Ball returning to Charlotte to face the Hornets.
NBA Schedule Release presented by @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/ASGahOlnpC
The night closes with the Indiana Pacers at the Golden State Warriors at 7 p.m. ET. With Tyrese Haliburton back after his Achilles injury, Indiana will try to reassert itself as a title contender, while Stephen Curry and the Warriors continue chasing a dynasty that has already produced four championships.
The league will release the full 2026-27 regular-season schedule on Thursday, Aug. 13.
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