The NBA released its 2025-2026 regular season schedule this week. But amidst all the excitement and intrigue around the schedule it had at least one major headscratcher in its Rivalry Week selections.
Rivalry weeks have become a popular tactic from major sports leagues in recent years to try to give a boost to what would normally be a mundane week on the calendar. Major League Baseball recently implemented one this year in May and it was a huge success. When the NHL was on NBC, they had an entire national window dedicated to rivalry matchups on Wednesday nights. Major League Soccer has implemented it as well.
The NBA has tried it over the last few years, but in this year’s schedule announcement the list of games showcased on national television for NBA Rivals Week was met with befuddlement from fans over the games selected.
Classic and budding rivalries take center stage for NBA Rivals Week during the week of January 20! 🔥
NBA Schedule Release presented by @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/tDw9BRUxez
— NBA (@NBA) August 14, 2025
When you think of the NBA’s biggest rivalries, Celtics-Lakers immediately comes to mind. And yet, the Lakers are featured three times with the Celtics not even one of the opponents. Instead, it’s the Nuggets, Clippers, and Mavericks. At least we will still have the Luka Doncic storyline to focus on for one more season.
And what about the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They face the Pacers, who they defeated in a thrilling seven-game NBA Finals series. That’s great. But the Bucks? How many fans would even recognize that as an NBA Cup final rematch? There’s an actual budding rivalry between the Thunder and the Timberwolves with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. Focus on that instead!
The Hornets-Cavs game is without a doubt the biggest question mark of the slate, and it’s here for one reason – a potential matchup between Lamelo Ball and his brother Lonzo. The only problem with that is injuries have continually sidetracked both players’ careers. The odds of both being healthy for this game may be less than 20% so hopefully everyone is ready to see Evan Mobley match up with Kon Knueppel.
The Rockets-Pistons clash is another sibling rivalry. This time it’s Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson respectively. The pair are great young players and could be future All-Stars. But it’s not exactly one that fans are beating down the doors of the NBA to see right now.
So where are the actual rivalries? Celtics-Lakers, Knicks-Heat, Knicks-Pacers, Cavaliers-Warriors, Lakers-Warriors, Celtics-76ers, Bulls-Pistons, etc. Instead, the NBA has opted for rematches of recent championships, sibling rivalries, and maybe some geographical proximity in a confusing mix of games.
The NBA has a lot to look forward to in the first year of their brand new television deals with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC. But this rivalry week slate is an airball.