The wait for the NBA regular season start 2024 felt like an eternity, especially with the Olympics bridging the gap. But October 22, 2024, finally hit, and it didn't just tip off; it exploded.
Boston was the center of the universe that night. Before a single ball was bounced, the Celtics hung their 18th banner, a ceremony that felt like a coronation for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They then proceeded to absolutely dismantle the New York Knicks. Honestly, the 132-109 scoreline actually makes the game look closer than it was. Boston tied an NBA record with 29 three-pointers. Watching it, you kind of realized that the gap between the defending champs and the "rest" might be wider than we thought.
Opening Night Chaos and the LeBron-Bronny Moment
While Boston was raining fire in the East, the late-night slot featured the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was the moment social media had been vibrating over for months.
With 4:00 left in the second quarter, history happened. LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, checked into the game together. It was the first time a father-son duo shared an NBA floor. You've seen the clips—the handshake, the crowd standing up, the sheer surreal nature of a 39-year-old icon playing with his kid. LeBron finished with 16 points, but the Lakers actually won the game 110-103, largely thanks to Anthony Davis looking like an MVP candidate with 36 points and 16 rebounds.
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Most people expected the Wolves to be a bit more cohesive, but they looked like a team still figuring out how Julius Randle fits into the spot vacated by Karl-Anthony Towns.
Why the NBA regular season start 2024 felt different
This season didn't just start with the usual hype; it started with a shift in the league's hierarchy. Basically, the "old guard" is fighting for air while the "new era" is already in the building.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the year as the "it" team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is no longer a dark horse for MVP; he’s the frontrunner.
- The Philadelphia 76ers went all-in on Paul George, though his debut was delayed by a bone bruise.
- Victor Wembanyama’s second year began with a level of expectation we haven't seen since LeBron's second season in 2004.
It’s also the first time we’ve seen the Emirates NBA Cup (the in-season tournament) fully integrated into the early-season psyche of the players. It’s not just "early season filler" anymore. Players actually want that prize money.
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Surprises from the first week
If you thought the Detroit Pistons were going to be the same 14-win disaster as last year, you were sorta wrong. Under J.B. Bickerstaff, they actually played competitive basketball in the opening week. Cade Cunningham looked like the All-Star everyone predicted he'd be before injuries slowed him down.
The Phoenix Suns also looked… functional? Mike Budenholzer has them shooting way more threes and playing with a pace that actually makes sense for a team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. They outlasted the Clippers in an overtime thriller during the grand opening of the Intuit Dome—Steve Ballmer’s billion-dollar "toilet-heavy" arena in Inglewood.
Key Dates You Need to Know
The NBA regular season start 2024 is just the first domino. Here’s what the roadmap looks like for the rest of the campaign:
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- November 12, 2024: The Emirates NBA Cup group stage begins.
- December 17, 2024: The NBA Cup Championship in Las Vegas.
- January 23 & 25, 2025: The Paris Games featuring the Spurs and Pacers.
- February 6, 2025: The Trade Deadline (expect some fireworks from the 76ers or Heat).
- April 13, 2025: The regular season ends, and the chaos of the Play-In starts.
What experts are watching now
Shams Charania—now at ESPN—is already tracking how the injury bug is hitting teams like the Sixers and Pelicans. Joel Embiid’s health is the ultimate "if" of the season. If he plays 60 games, Philly is a contender. If not, they’re a first-round exit.
There's also the "Cooper Flagg Factor." With a generational prospect sitting at the top of the 2025 Draft, the race to the bottom is going to be just as intense as the race for the top seed. Teams like the Wizards and Blazers are already showing signs that they wouldn't mind a high lottery pick.
Actionable Takeaways for the Season
If you’re following the NBA this year, don't just look at the standings. Look at the defensive ratings. Teams like the Thunder and Magic are winning games with "grind-it-out" defense that feels like a throwback to the 90s, despite the league's overall scoring boom.
Monitor the Western Conference standings daily. The gap between the 1st seed and the 10th seed is likely to be less than seven or eight games. One three-game losing streak in November can legitimately ruin a team’s playoff seeding by April.
Check your local listings for the new broadcasting split. With the league moving toward more streaming integration via Max and Amazon in the future, the way we watch games is shifting. Keep an eye on those Tuesday and Thursday TNT doubleheaders—they still remain the gold standard for weekly coverage until the new TV deal kicks in fully.