NBA schedule set to be released at 3 p.m. ET today: Starting 5, Aug. 15

The countdown to the 2024-25 NBA season has begun, with only 68 days left until tip-off! Start getting excited and mark your calendars for all the exciting action to come. And speaking of planning ahead, let's talk about...

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition?

Schedule Release: Everything you need to know about today’s announcement (3 ET, ESPN2)

Summer Review: What’s happened in the NBA since the Celtics won the title two months ago?

Must-See Matchups: Games you’ll want to circle on your calendar when the schedule drops

WNBA Is Back: Get caught up on everything W before the season resumes tonight

More Dimes: Assist week continues with last season’s top lob connections

BUT FIRST … ⏰

More big news is coming Thursday…

The 2024-25 NBA Schedule drops today at 3 ET on ESPN2.

Plus, the WNBA returns tonight with a trio of games as the Mercury face the Sky (8 ET, Prime Video), the Lynx host the Mystics (8 ET, ESPN3) and the Liberty take on the Sparks (9 ET, ESPN).

1. NBA SCHEDULE RELEASE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The release of the 2024-25 NBA schedule is just hours away.

The schedule will be unveiled at 3 ET on ESPN2 during NBA Today, highlighting the marquee matchups from the 1,200 games announcedWhere To Find The Schedule:

The

complete schedule

as well as the national television broadcast schedule will be loaded on NBA.com, while team-by-team sche

dules will be on all team sites

For die-hard hoop fans like the Starting 5 fam, this is the day that we can set our schedules from October 22 through April 13.

Know the first 80 nights that you get to spend with your favorite team, with hopes of more in the Emirates NBA Cup and postseasonReminder: Only 80 of each team’s 82 games will be announced today as the final two will be determined by each team’s performance in Group Play of the Emirates NBA CupFrom Playoff rematches,

to traditional rivalries, to superstars that routinely break the internet – today we’ll know when it all goes down

It all gets started on Oct. 22 with Opening Night. Will that be Ring Night in Boston? And who will the Celtics face when they raise Banner No. 18? We’ll find out soon.

In the meantime, here are some key dates for the upcoming season:

Oct. 22, 2024: Start of the 2024-25 NBA regular seasonNov. 2: NBA Mexico City Game 2024 (Heat vs. Wizards)Nov. 12: Emirates NBA Cup beginsDec. 17: Emirates NBA Cup Championship (Las Vegas)Jan. 23 & 25, 2025: NBA Paris Games 2025 (Spurs vs. Pacers)Feb. 6: NBA Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)Feb. 14-16: NBA All-Star 2025 (San Francisco)April 13: NBA Regular Season endsApril 15-18: NBA Play-In TournamentApril 19

: NBA Playoffs begin

Finally, be on the lookout on social for how NBA teams roll out their schedule release. Here are a few entertaining ones from last season:

76ers: Got a little help from two forms of A.I.Jazz: Took their upcoming schedule and made it artWarriors: Took a culinary trip around the leagueBulls

: Turned the release into an 8-bit video game. Stick around for Benny vs. Wemby

2. NBA SUMMER REVIEW: MAKING MOVES

It’s been two months – 59 days to be exact, but who’s counting – since the Celtics won the 2024 NBA title. And a lot has gone down in that time.

2024 NBA Draft: After one French phenom went No. 1 in 2023 and shook up the NBA, a pair of young French talents went top two in 2024 as Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1 to Atlanta) and Alex Sarr (No. 2 to Washington) led 58 new players into the NBAAn NBA First:

The 2024 Draft created the first father-son teammate duo as Bronny James (No. 55 pick) joins his father LeBron in L.A. With today’s schedule release, we’ll see when that duo makes history with their on-court debut together

After adding a new crop of talent into the league, it was time to shake things up with free agency and trades, as we saw a number of marquee players find new homes for the 2024-25 season.

Solo Splash Bro: After 11 seasons, Klay Thompson left Golden State to join the Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade. We already know Klay is headed back to the Bay for an Emirates NBA Cup Group Play game, but when will he make his Mavs’ debut?PG Heads East: Paul George left LA to join the Sixers, looking to be the missing piece to a Philly title run alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. When will that trio debut, and when will PG be back in LA?Student & Master: After playing last season without a traditional PG, the Spurs signed veteran Chris Paul to orchestrate their offense and impart knowledge to Victor Wembanyama and the young Spurs. How many CP3-to-Wemby alley-oops will we see?The Nova Quartet: The Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges to join fellow former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart as they make NBA nights at the Garden look like the Big East TournamentComplementary Pieces:

OKC finished with the best record in the West last season and added an elite perimeter defender in Alex Caruso and a proven big man in Isaiah Hartenstein to bolster its roster for another Playoff run

While some teams made major roster moves, others decided to run it back with the same core they had last season – resigning free agents and locking up young talent with contract extensions.

Boston: After posting a league-best 64 regular-season wins and clinching the 2024 title, the Celtics extended Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Sam Houser as they try to be the first NBA repeat champion in seven yearsL.A. Lakers: LeBron resigned with the Lakers and will begin his seventh season in L.A., matching his first Cleveland run for the longest tenure of his career. When LeBron opens his 22nd season, he’ll tie Vince Carter for the most in NBA historyCleveland:

The Cavs locked up multi-year extensions with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as they look to make a deeper Playoff run

3. NBA SCHEDULE: A FEW MATCHUPS WE’RE (ALREADY) CIRCLING

Did someone say appointment TV?

With the NBA schedule set to drop in mere hours, our Starting 5 team’s been group chatting about a few of the many top stories coming into this year — and when we’re gonna see them play out on the floor.

From individual matchups to Playoff rematches, here are a few meetings we can’t wait to watch.

Superstar Showdowns: An all-time matchup, old school vs. new school, and a battle between generational bigs.

LeBron vs. Steph: After leading USA Basketball to an Olympic gold medal, LeBron James and Steph Curry will resume their rivalry as NBA opponents when the Lakers and Warriors duel out WestKD vs. Ant: Following a Playoff clash and then a gold medal run in Paris, Anthony Edwards will face his favorite player and Olympic teammate, Kevin Durant, when the Wolves take on the SunsWemby vs. Jokic:

Fresh off an Olympic silver with France, last year’s ROTY Victor Wembanyama

will prepare for Chapter 2

against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who led Serbia to the podium in Paris

Classic Rivalries: A trio of traditional rivalries with some new twists and some fresh bling.

Clippers vs. Lakers: In addition to the new-look Clippers’ debut at the Intuit Dome, Kawhi and company will look to reclaim bragging rights in LA after the Lakers won the season series for the first time since the 2011-12 seasonKnicks vs. Sixers: After an iconic Eastern Conference semifinals, retooled rosters and stars on the rise on both squads, what do the two rivals have in store this year?Celtics vs. Heat:

The last two Eastern Conference champs are no strangers, having met in four of the last five Playoffs, and with the Celtics sporting a new ring, this year’s first meeting should be worth the wait

Playoff Rematches: There are plenty to choose from, but these five 2024 Playoff series produced fireworks and we’re eager to see the regular-season encores.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves: After a seven-game rollercoaster in the Western Conference Semifinals, the next Nuggets-Wolves matchup will be circled on our calendarThunder vs. Mavs: Another West Semifinal that didn’t disappoint. Can SGA and last year’s top-seeded Thunder get back at Luka and the Western Conference champs?Knicks vs. Pacers: This rivalry needs no introduction. New York and Indiana needed seven games to decide last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals and we can’t wait for the soonest rematchMagic vs. Cavaliers: Speaking of seven, these two clubs also went the distance in the 2024 Playoffs and will look to solidify themselves as contenders in the EastCeltics vs. Mavs:

Last but not least, a

2024 Finals rematch

. What should we expect when the C’s – fresh off banner No. 18 – run into Luka and the Mavs, who have a new weapon in Klay Thompson?

4. WNBA CATCHUP: STANDINGS & STORYLINES

The W returns tonight, resuming one of the most intriguing seasons in league history and a crowded Playoff race with less than 20 games remaining in the regular season.

The Liberty lead the league with a 21-4 record – their best start in franchise history – while the Sun (18-6), Lynx (17-8), Storm (17-8) and Aces (16-8) round out the top five, followed by a log jam for the final three Playoff spots.

Liberty First-Half Fire: Plenty can happen between now and Sep. 19, the final day of the regular season. But the first half was owned by the Liberty, who don’t just lead the W in wins.

Anytime, Anywhere: The Liberty also have the best home record in the WNBA at 12-1 and have the most road wins in the league, with a 9-3 mark as the visiting squadRave Ratings:

Through 25 games, New York leads the WNBA in NetRtg (11.8) and OffRtg (107.5)

ROTY Race: In just two months of play, rookies Caitlin Clark (Fever) and Angel Reese (Sky) have taken the league by storm, igniting a Rookie of the Year race to remember.

The Clark Spark: Clark is proving why she was this year’s No. 1 pick, averaging 17.1 pts, 5.8 reb and a league-high 8.2 astChasing History: Through 26 games, Clark is already just the second rookie with 200+ assists (213) in a single season, and 12 dimes shy of Ticha Penicheiro’s rookie record of 225 in 1998Reese’s Record:

Reese, the No. 7 pick, also made WNBA history with a record 15 straight double-doubles, and with 17 total, she’s six shy of passing Tina Charles’ all-time rookie mark of 22 in 2010

A’ja’s Unprecedented Season: Fresh off a gold medal in Paris, Aces forward A’ja Wilson enters the second half of the WNBA season as the favorite to win her third MVP.

A Lot Of Everything: Wilson leads the WNBA in points (27.2 ppg), rebounds (12.0 rpg) and blocks (2.9 bpg) and is on pace to smash Diana Taurasi’s single-season scoring record of 25.3 ppg set in 2006Unseen Averages:

If Wilson keeps it up, she’ll be the first player in W history to lead the league in ppg, rpg and bpg in a single season

5. ASSIST WEEK: ALLEY-OOP DUOS IN GIFS

It’s assist week in the NBA, and today’s spotlight shines on one of the highest-flying plays in hoops: the alley-oop.

Which duos led the league in oops last season, including layups and dunks, you might ask?

We’ll answer that question below – in GIFs.