NBA may be starting new tradition with Tuesday afternoon opener

The NBA is doing something unusual to begin the 2026-27 season. Apparently, unusual is precisely the point.

The league announced Tuesday that the Celtics and Pistons will tip off the regular season at 3 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 20, giving opening day three games instead of the traditional prime-time doubleheader. Boston-Detroit will be followed by 76ers-Knicks at 7 p.m. and Thunder-Spurs at 9:30. All three will air on NBC and Peacock.

So why basketball in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon?

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on NBA Today that the league sees an opportunity to turn the beginning of the season into something bigger.

“I’ve talked to people around the league today and they’re like, we could sense the excitement for the NBA right now,” McMenamin said. “So let’s experiment with this thing.”

McMenamin said the decision was made in conjunction with NBC, with the idea of potentially making opening day more of an event.

“Let’s see if we can enhance it and turn it into a major showcase,” he said. “Maybe down the line, this becomes a tradition for NBA fans.”

There’s another benefit. A 3 p.m. Eastern tip means Celtics-Pistons begins at a much friendlier hour for NBA fans in Europe.

But hey, why not try it?

The NFL has turned seemingly every important date on its calendar into an event. The NBA clearly has noticed. Opening night doesn’t necessarily have to mean two games beginning after most people have finished dinner.

Now it means three. If people watch, you can probably expect the experiment to become considerably less experimental.

And if they don’t? Well, there’s always 7 p.m.