The NBA has faced backlash from domestic fans after scheduling the Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons game on Opening Night for 3pm ET on Tuesday, October 20.
The first day of NBA regular season games is headlined by a blockbuster matchup with LeBron James making his Philadelphia 76ers debut at Madison Square Garden against the defending champion New York Knicks.
That game takes place at 7pm ET, but will not be the first contest of the season after a rare midweek afternoon game was announced in Detroit. ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin gave some further insight on the decision in NBA Today, explaining international considerations behind the decision.
“I’ve talked to people around the league today and they’re like we could sense the excitement for the NBA right now. So let’s experiment with this thing.
‘They talked with executives at NBC, and it was kind of a joint decision that this is something we can turn into a celebration of the game. It’s already a marquee moment for the league.
‘Let’s see if we can enhance it and turn it into a major showcase. Maybe down the line, this becomes a tradition for NBA fans…also an added bonus: it’s an international game; 3 PM Eastern is prime time viewing in Europe.’
The Detroit Pistons will host the Boston Celtics at 3 p.m. ET on Opening Night
LeBron James’ first 76ers game against the Knicks is the highlight of the opening slate
The 3pm ET start will mean an 8pm tipoff in the UK and Ireland, and a 9pm start time for the majority of Europe, making it far more accessible for potential viewers who would otherwise face having to tune in during the middle of the night.
But despite the masterplan, NBA fans voiced their outrage on social media, with the afternoon start clearly inconvenient for those hoping to attend the game or watch in the United States.
One fan responded: A lot of fluff to finally get to the only salient point: it’s a game for the international audience’ while a Boston fan complained: ‘No way imma miss the Celtics first game of the year to accommodate Europe.’
‘Prime viewing time in Europe so let’s put the pistons with no European stars or prob fanbase at all,’ another reply said, with others declaring: ‘they won’t cater to us so why cater to them.’
Another fan pointed to a significant scheduling conflict, adding: ‘Scheduling a game for the primetime slot of a UEFA Champions League night is the dumbest thing you can do if you are thinking about the European fans. The ratings will suck because at that time everybody will be watching a Champions League game.’
The decision comes with the NBA exploring its options internationally, including plans to launch an NBA Europe league next fall and continuing to play multiple regular season games across the Atlantic.
Speaking last month at the Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: ‘We’ve had tremendous interest from multiple cities in Europe, including cities that we didn’t even ask for bids from.
‘We discussed with our board that we’re in the process of finalizing those bids for an initial group of cities. Many of the people who are involved in those bids, the European bidders, are actually going to be in New York for the World Cup final on Sunday.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has international expansion high on his radar moving forwards
The NBA has played regular season games internationally in recent years, including in Paris
‘Given their presence in New York, I would say we’re hoping to wrap up some of those deals over the next several weeks, and then announcements will be forthcoming.’
The NBA Europe project is being led by Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, who said in a statement at the start of July: ‘We’re extremely encouraged by the final bids we received for permanent franchises in the new NBA and FIBA-backed league in Europe, which reflects the tremendous interest and momentum around this project.
‘This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear frontrunners in each of our 12 target cities including many existing basketball and football clubs.
‘We will now work with the NBA and FIBA Boards to finalize the long-term agreements.’
