How many months is the NBA season? Key dates and milestones you need to know

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America with 30 teams. It is one of the major sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is widely considered the top basketball league in the world. In this article, basketscores.com answers the question: How many months is the NBA season?

How many months is the NBA season?

Typically, the NBA season lasts about 8 months and is usually divided into two main phases. The first phase is the Regular Season, which runs for about 6 months, from late October to mid-April. During this period, each team plays 82 games, and 10 teams from each conference move on to the second phase: the Play-in Tournament and the Playoffs.

The NBA Finals are held in June. In total, a team’s active season lasts around 240-250 days, from October to June of the following year. If preseason preparation is included, players usually begin training in late September or early October.

How does an NBA season typically work?

1. NBA Draft & Free Agency

Right after the NBA Finals end, teams begin preparing for the NBA Draft, which takes place at the end of June. The Draft has two rounds with 60 total picks. This is when teams select young players from college or international leagues, and many trades also happen during the event.

After the Draft, teams enter the Free Agency period. Players whose contracts have expired can negotiate with new teams. Talks usually begin at 6 PM on June 30, when verbal agreements are allowed, but official contracts cannot yet be signed. The official signing period starts about a week later, when contracts become valid and deals are completed.

2. NBA Summer League & Training Camp

The NBA Summer League takes place in July. It allows rookies and unsigned players to compete and show their abilities. Teams use this period to evaluate talent and offer short-term or two-way contracts.

Next is Training Camp, where teams prepare for the new season and finalize their rosters. Each team can have up to 15 standard contract players and 3 two-way players. Players who do not meet expectations are released before the regular season begins.

3. Preseason

The preseason usually takes place in early October and lasts about 2–3 weeks. These are friendly games that help teams test lineups, build chemistry, and prepare physically. Results from these games do not count toward the official standings.

4. Regular Season

This is the main part of the season. Each team plays 82 games, including 41 home games and 41 away games. A notable event during this period is the NBA Cup, which takes place in November and December. Except for the final, these games still count toward the regular season standings.

Another highlight is the Christmas Day games, which feature some of the biggest matchups of the season. In mid-February, the league pauses for All-Star Weekend, which includes events such as the Slam Dunk Contest, the three-point contest, and the All-Star Game.

5. Play-in, Playoffs, and NBA Finals

The Play-in Tournament takes place right after the regular season ends in mid-April. Teams ranked 7th to 10th in each conference compete for the final two playoff spots.

The Playoffs begin after the Play-in stage and run from April to May. Sixteen teams (8 from each conference) compete in a best-of-seven format, where the first team to win 4 games advances. The rounds include the First Round, Conference Semifinals, and Conference Finals.

The NBA Finals are the final stage of the season, where the Eastern Conference champion faces the Western Conference champion. The winner of the series (first to 4 wins) becomes the NBA champion and receives the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Some facts about the NBA schedule

The 82-game regular season format has been in place since the 1967/68 season. At that time, the NBA expanded to 12 teams, and teams played each other multiple times to ensure balance. This resulted in an 82-game schedule, which has remained unchanged due to tradition and commercial reasons.

On average, an NBA team travels about 40,000-50,000 miles (65,000-80,000 km) per season. Teams in the Western Conference, such as the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, often travel more because of greater distances between cities. In the 2025/26 season, the Orlando Magic are expected to be among the teams with the most travel due to international games in Europe.

The NBA has been working to reduce back-to-back games to protect player health. The number of these games has dropped to a record low, with teams now playing around 13-15 back-to-back sets per season. The league has also nearly eliminated situations where teams play four games in five days.

BasketScores has answered the question “How many months is the NBA season?” and provided an overview of how the NBA schedule works. For the latest basketball results, please visit our page.