When Does the 2022 NBA Season Start? Key Dates and Schedule Revealed
I still remember that electric feeling in the air when the 2021 NBA Finals concluded – the Milwaukee Bucks had just secured their first championship in fifty years, and already I found myself wondering when we’d get to do it all over again. As a lifelong basketball enthusiast and someone who follows the league’s scheduling like it’s my second job, the annual question popped into my head: when does the 2022 NBA season actually start? Well, after some digging through official announcements and insider reports, I can confidently walk you through the key dates. The 2022-23 NBA season is officially set to tip-off on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. That’s the date you’ll want to circle on your calendar in permanent ink. It feels like a perfect timeline, giving teams and fans just enough of a breather after the summer leagues and free agency frenzy, but not so long that we forget the sweet sound of a swishing net.
The full schedule release in August confirmed that opening night will feature a doubleheader on TNT, a tradition I absolutely adore. While the exact matchups weren't available at my time of writing, based on historical patterns and star power, I’d place my bets on seeing the Golden State Warriors, the reigning champions from the previous season, likely hosting a marquee game. The other slot often goes to a compelling Eastern Conference contender, perhaps the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s more than just two games; it’s a national event, a celebration that basketball is back. The preseason, however, begins much earlier. Teams will report to training camps around the end of September, with preseason games kicking off in the first week of October. These games might not count in the standings, but for rookies and players on new teams, they are absolutely critical.
This reminds me of a quote from a player that perfectly captures the surreal pressure of that moment. After a standout performance, a young player named Gray once said, "To be honest, I really blacked out when I was out there for the first few minutes so that was all God for sure. He just guided me through that first few minutes on the floor and once I hit that first shot and it went in, heard my name, say three ball and just felt really good to be out there." That raw, unfiltered emotion is what the opening of a new season is all about. It’s not just about the established superstars; it’s about the new faces, the rookies, the traded veterans, all experiencing that same blend of nerve-wracking anxiety and pure exhilaration. For a player like Gray, that first made shot is the moment the nervous system resets and instinct takes over. For us fans, witnessing those breakout moments is a huge part of the early-season joy.
Beyond opening night, several other key dates are locked in and crucial for any fan's planning. The NBA's 76th regular season will run from October 18, 2022, to April 9, 2023. That’s a grueling, beautiful 174-day marathon comprising 1,230 games. The NBA Christmas Day slate, another one of my personal favorites, is scheduled for December 25, 2022, typically featuring five must-watch games. It’s a family tradition in my house to have the games on all day long. Then we have the NBA Trade Deadline, which I’ve noted is set for February 9, 2023. This is always a day of chaos and drama, where front offices make franchise-altering decisions. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for February 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City. I have to admit, I’m a bit skeptical about the halftime show this year, but the actual game, especially with the return of the captain-choosing format, is usually a fantastic spectacle of pure, unadulterated talent.
The regular season concludes in early April, paving the way for the NBA Play-In Tournament, which I believe has been a fantastic addition to the league's structure, even if it sometimes feels a bit cruel to the 9th and 10th seeds. This year, the Play-In Tournament is expected to run from April 11-14, 2023. Following that, the main event—the NBA Playoffs—are projected to begin on Saturday, April 15, 2023. If the past few seasons are any indication, we are in for two months of absolutely breathtaking basketball. The NBA Finals are then tentatively scheduled to start on June 1, 2023, a date that promises to crown a new champion after what will undoubtedly be a brutal and unpredictable postseason journey. I have a strong feeling we might see a surprise team from the Western Conference make a deep run this year, perhaps the Memphis Grizzlies, if their young core continues to develop.
So, mark your calendars. From the first tip-off on October 18th to the final buzzer of the Finals sometime in June, the 2022-23 NBA season is shaping up to be another incredible chapter. It’s a long journey from the nervous excitement of a player's first minutes on the court, like Gray described, to the hardened determination of the playoffs. For me, it’s more than a schedule; it’s the rhythm of my year. The return of the NBA means late-night West Coast games, heated debates with friends over MVP candidates, and the shared hope that this could be your team’s year. The structure is set, the dates are revealed, and now, we wait. The countdown to October 18th is officially on, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how this all unfolds.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
