Sports
to-Z: A fan's guide to the 2023-24 season – NBA.com
Get ready for the new season with an A-to-Z look at all the things to watch for in 2023-24.
EVERYONE'S GAME | NBA 2023-24 SEASON
Below is the NBA’s A-to-Z guide for everything you need to know for the 2023-24 season which officially tips off on Oct. 24.
A: ALL-STAR
NBA All-Star 2024 will take place in Indianapolis (Feb. 16-18), home of the Indiana Pacers, with the city hosting the midseason showcase for the first time since 1985.
B: BACK-TO-BACKS
The team average for back-to-backs with travel between games is a record-low 9.0 this season.
C: CHRISTMAS DAY
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day for the 16th year in a row, with ABC or ESPN televising each matchup.
D: DENVER NUGGETS
The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets are looking to become the first team to win a franchise’s first two titles in back-to-back seasons since the Houston Rockets in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.
E: EASTERN CONFERENCE
The Eastern Conference has had five different franchises reach the NBA Finals in the last six seasons, with the only team with multiple appearances in that span being the Miami Heat, which made the Finals last season after rallying in a must-win NBA Play-In Tournament game to earn the No. 8 playoff seed.
F: FLOPPING PENALTY
Under the new in-game flopping penalty, a player who commits a flop will be charged with a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul and the opposing team will be awarded one free throw attempt.
G: GLOBAL GAMES
In the two NBA Global Games this season, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Orlando Magic in The NBA Mexico City Game 2023 on Nov. 9, and the Brooklyn Nets will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in The NBA Paris Game 2024 on Jan. 11.
H: HAPPY RETURNS
Players making happy returns to action include former NBA All-Stars LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Ben Simmons (Brooklyn Nets) and Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), 2021 first overall draft pick Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) and 2022 second overall draft pick Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder).
I: IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT
The NBA In-Season Tournament debuts this season with all 30 teams playing four Group Play games on Tuesdays and Fridays in November (known as “Tournament Nights”), eight teams advancing to thesingle-elimination Knockout Rounds and one team being awarded the new NBA Cup for winning the championship game on Dec. 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
J: JERSEY DAY
The fourth annual NBA Jersey Day will take place on Oct. 23, the day before the start of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, when fans around the world will celebrate their favorite teams and players by posting a picture of themselves in an NBA, WNBA or NBA G League jersey from any era on their social media channels.
K: KEY DATES
Key dates for the new season include Oct. 24 for opening night, Nov. 3 for the start of the NBA In-Season Tournament, April 14 for the final day of the regular season, April 16-19 for the NBA Play-In Tournament, April 20 for the start of the NBA Playoffs, May 12 for the NBA Draft Lottery, June 6 for Game 1 of the NBA Finals and June 27 for the NBA Draft.
L: LARRY O’BRIEN TROPHY
The NBA has had a different recipient of the Larry O’Brien Trophy in each of the last five seasons; six champions in a six-season span has happened only once in league history (1974-75 – 1979-80 seasons).
M: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Reigning Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) and two-time MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets) have combined to win the last five MVP awards and been the three finalists for the honor in each of the last two seasons.
N: NEW PLACES
About 125 NBA veterans are in new places after changing teams from last season, including former All-Stars Bradley Beal (Phoenix Suns), Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis (Boston Celtics), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks), Chris Paul (Golden State Warriors) and Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets); 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart (Memphis Grizzlies); and 2018 first overall draft pick Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns).
O: OFFENSIVE RATING
NBA teams averaged 114.1 points per 100 possessions in the 2022-23 season, the highest offensive rating for a season on record.
P: PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Last season was the first time that an NBA Play-In Tournament team won a playoff series as the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals and the Los Angeles Lakers made the Western Conference Finals.
Q: QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE
Feb. 17, 2024, will mark the 30th anniversary of the NBA’s fourth and most recent quadruple-double, by the San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson, who had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in a game against the Detroit Pistons.
R: RIVALS WEEK
For the second annual NBA Rivals Week, rivalries will be the focus of all 11 nationally televised games across four networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV) over five days from Jan. 23-27.
S: SCORING LEADER
NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) begins his 21st season – one shy of Vince Carter’s league record of 22 – with 40,000 career points in sight (1,348 away), along with being tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star selections in league history (19).
T: TRADE DEADLINE
A record 24 teams last season made a trade on the day of the NBA Trade Deadline, which is set for Feb. 8 this season.
U: UNIFORMS
This season will feature a total of 124 different uniforms worn across all 30 teams, with the outfitting schedule available on NBA LockerVision.
V: VICTOR WEMBANYAMA
After being the No. 1 overall pick of the most-watched NBA Draft on record and playing in the second-most-watched NBA Summer League game ever, the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama will be coached as a rookie by NBA all-time wins leader Gregg Popovich, who will extend his league record for consecutive seasons as a team’s head coach to 28.
W: WESTERN CONFERENCE
A different franchise has earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the Western Conference in each of the last six seasons, the longest such streak in the West under the current playoff format (which began with the 1983-84 season).
X: X’S AND O’S
Adrian Griffin (Milwaukee Bucks) and Darko Rajaković (Toronto Raptors) will draw up X’s and O’s as first-time NBA head coaches, joining Nick Nurse (Philadelphia 76ers), Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets), Frank Vogel (Phoenix Suns) and Monty Williams (Detroit Pistons) among the league’s six new head coaches for this season.
Y: YOUNG STANDOUTS
Young standouts are making their mark as a record-tying three 25-and-under players were named to the Kia All-NBA First Team last season – Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(Oklahoma City Thunder) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) – and 13 players who are currently 25 or younger have been NBA All-Stars in their careers.
Z: ZONE
Scorers got in the zone last season: A record-tying 14 players had at least one game with 50 or more points, and the total of 25 50-point games across the NBA were the third most in a season.
The annual survey is here. NBA general managers react to key topics before the 2023-24 season tips off.
Get ready for the 2023-24 season with 1 key storyline each day before Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023 begins Oct. 24.
A closer look at notable player and team-by-team statistical milestones that could occur this season.
Rivalries, rematches and return engagements. The stars align in the 1st half of the season with plenty of tantalizing matchups.
The annual survey is here. NBA general managers react to key topics before the 2023-24 season tips off.
Get ready for the 2023-24 season with 1 key storyline each day before Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023 begins Oct. 24.
A closer look at notable player and team-by-team statistical milestones that could occur this season.
Rivalries, rematches and return engagements. The stars align in the 1st half of the season with plenty of tantalizing matchups.
San Antonio plans to keep Collins in the starting lineup after his solid showing in preseason action.
The Memphis center missed significant time last season after spraining the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The NBA isn't the first sports league to execute an In-Season Tournament.
Find out everything you need to know about the inaugural In-Season Tournament before it tips off on Nov. 3.
Denver reportedly commits extra years and money to one of its more recently drafted 1st-round talents.
Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Dwyane Wade make their NBA debuts.
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