Lakers vs. Warriors Game Headlines NBA's 2025 Opening Night

The reigning NBA champion Thunder will highlight the first game.

The Lakers and LeBron James will face the Warriors and Stephen Curry on opening night. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The 2025–26 NBA season tips off on Oct. 21, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported the two matchups highlighted on opening night.

Up first will be the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder against the Houston Rockets. This will give the Thunder a national stage to celebrate their championship victory from this past season.

Following that game will be the Golden State Warriors visiting the Los Angeles Lakers, a.k.a. the always highly anticipated matchup between Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

These two games will be broadcasted on NBC as the network, along with ABC/ESPN and Amazon. All will gain the media rights to the league after TNT failed to come to a new agreement with the NBA.

Opening night will likely be when NBA fans first get to witness Michael Jordan work as a special contributor as he begins his new role with NBC this fall. It'll especially be interesting to watch him commentate on James, the player who Jordan is often compared to in the "G.O.A.T." debate.

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