On June 14, 2023,Ekpe Udoh announced his retirement from professional basketball to become an assistant coach for theAtlanta Hawks. He played for four teams in his 13-year career as well as several teams overseas.[3][4]
On June 18, 2023,Lou Williams announced his retirement from professional basketball. He played for six teams in his 18-year career, earningSixth Man of the Year honors three times.[5]
On July 28, 2023,Udonis Haslem announced his retirement from the NBA. Hespent his entire 20-year career with theMiami Heat, winning three championships with the team.[7] Months after, he re-joined the team as the vice president of basketball development.[8]
On August 29, 2023,Yi Jianlian announced his retirement from professional basketball after playing five NBA seasons for four NBA teams from 2007 to 2012 and later in his career he played in the NBA D-League, and finished his career overseas.[9]
On August 31, 2023,Othello Hunter announced his retirement from the NBA after only playing two NBA seasons with theAtlanta Hawks from 2008 to 2010 and later played in the NBA D-League, and finished his career overseas.[10]
On September 29, 2023,Wayne Ellington announced his retirement from the NBA after playing 13 seasons with nine NBA teams. Shortly after retiring, he was hired as the player development coach for the Miami Heat.[11]
The majority of the regular season was released on August 17, with those group play games counting as part of the in-season tournament announced two days earlier on August 15. The two games that were dependent on the results of the in-season tournament and the knockout round schedule were announced at the conclusion of Group play (seedetails below).[46][47]
Six intraconference pools of five (three pools per conference).
Tuesdays and Fridays during November featured group games against each of the other teams in their pool (two at home and two on the road). These games still counted as regular season games.
The winners of each pool (three teams per conference) and two wild-card teams (one team per conference) advanced to a single-elimination tournament.
The semifinals and championship game were played in Las Vegas.
Players for the tournament champion each received $500,000.
To compensate, the NBA's regular season scheduling formula was modified so only 80 games for each team were initially announced during the offseason. The first two rounds of the in-season tournament would then count as regular-season games 81 and 82. The championship game would then be an extra 83rd game that would not count toward the regular season. Teams that did not qualify for the in-season tournament knockout round, or were eliminated in the quarterfinals, were then scheduled additional games against each other that were eliminated in the same conference (if possible) and rounded to reach 82 games.
Only the top six seeds in each conference advanced to the main rounds of the2024 NBA playoffs, while the next four seeds participated in aPage playoff system tournament from April 16–19, 2024. In each conference the 7th-place team hosted the 8th-place team in the double-chance round needing to win one game to advance, with the winner clinching the 7th seed in the playoffs. The 9th-place team hosted the 10th-place team in the elimination round requiring two wins to advance, with the loser being eliminated from the contention. The loser in the double-chance round hosted the elimination-round game-winner, with the winner clinching the 8th seed and the loser being eliminated.[54]
TheOrlando Magic's home arena, known as Amway Center since its opening, was renamedKia Center on December 20, 2023, as part of a new agreement withKia.[99]
TheUtah Jazz's home arena, known for several years as Vivint Arena, reverted to its originalDelta Center name after the team came to a new naming rights agreement withDelta Air Lines on July 1, 2023.[102]
This was the eighth year of a nine-year deal withABC,ESPN,TNT andNBA TV.[103] ESPN has Wednesday and Friday night games during most of the regular season, along with selected Sunday games from February to April, and a Monday night doubleheader on March 18.[104] TNT had Tuesday games, and Thursday games during opening week and again from January to April.[105] NBA TV televised games primarily on Mondays all season, Saturday and Sunday nights for most of the season, Thursdays during the first half of the season, Fridays during the second half of the season, and any other time when the other national broadcasters are not airing games.[106] ABC's schedule includedNBA Saturday Primetime games on selected Saturdays between December and March (including a tripleheader on January 27), andNBA Sunday Showcase games on four selected Sunday afternoons in February and March.[104] On October 2, 2023, it was announced that five January games originally scheduled as part of ESPN's Wednesday doubleheaders would instead air on ABC.[107]
This season, ESPN and TNT began featuring simulcasts or alternative broadcasts of selected games onESPN2 andTruTV, respectively.[108][109]
For the NBA in-season tournament, TNT and ESPN aired selected group stage games as part of their regular Tuesday and Friday coverage, respectively. NBA TV had two on Friday, November 24.[110] During the knockout stage, TNT aired all four quarterfinals on December 4 and 5. For the semifinals on December 7, ESPN televised the early game and TNT had the late game. The championship game on Saturday, December 9 was on ABC.[111]
During these weeks, ESPN and NBA TV continued to air other regular season games on Wednesdays and other days, including ESPN's coverage of consolation games on December 6 and December 8.[104][112]
FiveChristmas Day games were scheduled for this season. With Christmas Day falling on a Monday in 2023, the NFL also scheduled aMonday Night Football on that day. Because ABC/ESPN holds the broadcast rights to both NBA Christmas games andMonday Night Football, it was decided that ESPN again aired all five NBA games, but ABC only simulcast two of them in favor of exclusively airing theMonday Night Football game. This marked the first time since2016 that ABC televised fewer than three NBA Christmas games.[104]
For the second consecutive season, the league held NBA Rivals Week from January 23 to 27, 2024, with each nationally televised game featuring "classic and budding rivalries between teams and players".[46]
On the final day of the regular season, Sunday, April 14, two games with playoff implications were flexed into ESPN's afternoon doubleheader.[46][104]
The 16 NBA teams who had deals with theBally Sports regional sports networks may be affected by its operatorDiamond Sports Group's March 14, 2023, decision to file forChapter 11 bankruptcy. Diamond had initially sought to continue broadcasting regional games while it plans to separate from majority parentSinclair Broadcast Group as part of the reorganization.[116]
On April 20, 2023, the Phoenix Suns signed a five-year agreement withGray Television to replaceBally Sports Arizona as their broadcaster. Most Suns games would then be carried on broadcast television by Gray'sKTVK,KPHO-TV, orKPHE-LD in Phoenix (as well asTucson sister stationKOLD-DT5, a new Gray station inFlagstaff,KAZF, and a new Gray station inYuma,KAZS, with the latter two launching before the season starts). The Suns also launched an over-the-top subscription service called "Suns Live", which is created byKiswe.[117][118][119] After the announcement, Diamond accused the team of breaching its contract and bankruptcy law, stating that the team was making an "improper effort" to "change their broadcasting partner without permitting Diamond to exercise our contractual rights." In response, Phoenix Suns CEOJosh Bartelstein stated that "Diamond's position is totally inaccurate. We are moving forward with this deal and could not be more excited about what it means for our fans and our future."[117][118][120] On May 10, 2023, the bankruptcy judge voided the Suns contract with Gray, ruling that the Suns violated Bally Sports Arizona's contractual right of first refusal. He ordered the parties intoarbitration.[121] On July 14, 2023, the deal became official when Diamond declined to match Gray's contract offer, going forward with the intended plan of theirs, only removing KPHO-TV from the initial list that included KTVK and KPHE.[122] With Bally Sports later losing airing rights to theArizona Diamondbacks to theMLB itself and theNHL'sArizona Coyotes toScripps Sports, Bally Sports Arizona ended up shutting down services on October 21, 2023.
On October 1, 2023, Diamond Sports missed a payment to theOrlando Magic. However, on November 6, 2023, Diamond Sports and the NBA reached a one-year agreement that resulted in the contracts for teams airing on Diamond expiring after the 2023–24 NBA season, but resulted in the Magic being paid in the process. Across the board, all NBA teams airing on Diamond Sports received a 16% reduction in the money they receive, but teams would now be able to exclusively sell 10 games of their choosing to localover-the-air stations.[123][124] However, on January 17, 2024, Diamond Sports announced a restructuring agreement after receiving a $115 million investment fromAmazon. The restructuring agreement superseded the prior agreement with the NBA, so rights for the NBA would no longer expire following the 2023–24 season.[125]
The following teams reached agreements to sell games to over-the-air stations:
On June 20, 2023, the Jazz reached an agreement withSinclair Broadcast Group owned stationsKJZZ-TV andKUTV to become its new television home. Jazz ownerRyan Smith launched a new in-house production division, SEG Media, to produce the telecasts. While all games would air on KJZZ, Sinclair retained the right to carry select telecasts on KUTV, and KUTV would maintain an "official station" relationship with the team, allowing more coverage of the Jazz and its players. The deal would also include a streaming service, which not involved KJZZ-TV.[139] AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain later rebranded itself to justSportsNet Rocky Mountain before shutting down services on October 21, 2023.
Boston Celtics television announcerMike Gorman announced his retirement effective after this season.[142] For this season, Gorman only called home games, and Drew Carter called preseason and road games. Carter was also announced as Gorman's successor for next season.[143]
TheBrooklyn Nets addedNoah Eagle, son of primary television announcerIan Eagle, to the broadcast team calling select games. The younger Eagle called around 10 games in lieu of Ian and secondary announcerRyan Ruocco.[144]
On July 25, 2023,Jaylen Brown signed a five-year, $304 million contract extension with theBoston Celtics, the largest in league history.[145]
On September 13, 2023, the NBA Board of Governors approved a new Player Participation Policy to help prevent "load management", when teams rest more than one healthy star player on any given night. The policy also states that team must ensure star players are available to play on all nationally televised games and in-season tournament games, among other player participation rules.[146][147]
On October 25, 2023,Victor Wembanyama scored three three-pointers in his regular-season debut, the most by a Spurs rookie in a single game. He also put up the third-most points in a single quarter for a first overall pick in his debut in the last 25 years.[148]
On October 28, 2023,Jalen Duren became the second teenager to post at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a game.[149]
On November 1, 2023,LeBron James scored 35 points in theLos Angeles Lakers' 130–125 overtime victory against theLos Angeles Clippers. His performance marked his 81st 30-point game since turning 35 years old in December 2019, surpassingKarl Malone for the most 30-point games by any player since turning 35 in NBA history.[152]
On November 1, 2023,Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to score at least one three-pointer in 250 consecutive regular season games.[153]
On November 2, 2023, Victor Wembanyama became the third teenager in NBA history to put up at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a game.[154]
On November 15, 2023, LeBron James passed Jason Kidd for 5th on the all-time triple-doubles list.[163] He also passedJason Terry for 8th in the career three-pointers made list.[164] James also became the second-oldest player to record a triple-double, behind only Karl Malone.[165]
On November 18, 2023,Giannis Antetokounmpo became the youngest player in NBA history to record 16,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists in a career.[166]
On November 19, 2023, LeBron James passedClyde Drexler for the 8th place on the league's all-time steals made list.[167]
On November 21, 2023, Kevin Durant passedElvin Hayes for the 11th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[168]
On November 21, 2023, LeBron James became the first player to reach 39,000 career points.[169] He also passedVince Carter for 7th on the league's all-time three-pointers made list.[170]
On November 26, 2023, Victor Wembanyama became the first rookie with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks in a game. He had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists.[171]
On November 27, 2023, LeBron James passedKareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leader in minutes played during the regular season and playoffs combined.[172]
On December 1, 2023, Kevin Durant passedMoses Malone for the 10th place in the all-time scoring list.[173]
On December 2, 2023, theDallas Mavericks went on a 30–0 run in a game against theOklahoma City Thunder, the longest in NBA history without allowing a basket in the play-by-play era.[174]
On December 2, 2023,Luka Dončić became the first player with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals in a game. He posted 36 points and 18 assists vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.[175]
On December 5, 2023, LeBron James became the oldest player to record 30 points, 10 assists and 5 steals in a game.[176]
On December 6, 2023,Luka Dončić moved pastLarry Bird for the 9th place in the all-time career triple-doubles list. He also posted 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the first half, marking the first 25-point, first-half triple-double in league history.[177]
On December 8, 2023, Victor Wembanyama (19 years, 38 days) became the youngest player in NBA history to have at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game.[178]
On December 11, 2023, Luka Dončić (24 years, 287 days) became the youngest player to reach 1,000 three-point field goals.[179]
On December 13, 2023,Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 64 points without making a three-point field goal vs the Indiana Pacers. This marked the most points scored without making a three-point field goal since its introduction in1979–80.[180]
On December 13, 2023, Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely for strikingJusuf Nurkić on the face in a Warriors–Suns game the previous day, which resulted in a type 2flagrant foul that led to his ejection from the game.[181]
On December 14, 2023, Nikola Jokić had his 10th triple-double of the season, becoming the first player ever to have at least 10 triple-doubles in seven consecutive seasons.[182]
On December 15, 2023,Jalen Brunson tied the record for most three-point field goals made (9) in a game with no misses vs thePhoenix Suns[183]
On December 16, 2023,Duncan Robinson of theMiami Heat on his 305th NBA game, became the fastest NBA player to achieve 900 career made three-point shots, breaking the record previously shared byLuka Dončić andBuddy Hield of 324 games played, in a 118–116 victory against theChicago Bulls.[184]
On December 17, 2023,Stephen Curry's NBA record streak of consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal made ended at 268 games after failing to make a three-pointer against the Portland Trail Blazers.[185] Previously, Curry failed to make a three-pointer in game 5 of the2022 NBA Finals.
On December 17, 2023, Victor Wembanyama set the record for the most consecutive double-doubles by a teenager at 8 games, passingDwight Howard.[186]
On December 19, 2023,Ja Morant set the record for most points (34) by player in return game after missing at least 25 straight games. He achieved this vs theNew Orleans Pelicans.[187][188]
On December 25, 2023, coachErik Spoelstra of theMiami Heat improved to 9–0 on games played on Christmas Day, the best record in NBA on the holiday, achieving it on a 119–113 victory over thePhiladelphia 76ers. Miami Heat also achieve the highest winning percentage among active teams at 0.857 (12–2 record) for games played on Christmas Day[190]
On December 25, 2023,Jaime Jaquez Jr. became the first NBA rookie to record a 30-point double-double (31 points and 10 rebounds) on Christmas Day after 38 years sincePatrick Ewing in 1985. His 31-point night also tiedKyle Kuzma for the seventh-most points scored on Christmas by a rookie in NBA history. The only rookies to score more points on the holiday areWilt Chamberlain (45),Walt Bellamy (35),LeBron James (34),Bill Cartwright (33), Ewing (32) andOscar Robertson (32).[191]
On December 28, 2023, Nikola Jokić became the first player to record a triple-double without missing a field goal or free throw in two games. He made all 11 field goals and 3 free throws vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.[192][193]
On December 28, 2023, Victor Wembanyama became the first player with 30 points and 7 blocks in 30 minutes or less. He played for 24:27 (min/sec) vs the Portland Trail Blazers. He also posted 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He is the only teenager with at least 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a game.[194]
On December 30, 2023,Anthony Davis became the first player with at least 32 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in a game. He had 33 points and 8 assists vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves.[196]
On December 30, 2023,Tyrese Haliburton became the third player to have at least 20 points and 20 assists in back-to-back games.[197]
On January 1, 2024,Jordan Clarkson became the firstUtah Jazz player to record a triple-double in 15 years sinceCarlos Boozer achieved it on February 13, 2008. Clarkson recorded 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the first time in his career, in a 127–90 win over theDallas Mavericks.[198]
On January 9, 2024, coachErik Spoelstra agreed to an eight-year, $120 million contract extension, the most committed money in both NBA and North American coaching history.[199]
On January 10, 2024,Victor Wembanyama became the youngest center in NBA history to record a triple-double and the youngest player without any turnovers (at 20 years and 6 days), passingAndre Iguodala, who achieved it at 21 years old in 2005. He recorded his career triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 21 minutes of action, making him the second player in NBA history to record it in less than 22 minutes, just 1 minute shy ofRussell Westbrook, who did it in 20 minutes' play in 2014. Wembanyama, however, did it in a winning effort, 130–108 against theDetroit Pistons.[200]
On January 14, 2024,Damian Lillard of theMilwaukee Bucks scored the game-winning three-pointer in a 143–142 overtime win over theSacramento Kings.[201] By making this shot, he became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 2,500 career three-pointers.[202]
On January 17, 2024,Golden State Warriors assistant coachDejan Milojević died as a result of a heart attack suffered the previous night while at a team dinner.[203]
On January 22, 2024,Joel Embiid of thePhiladelphia 76ers scored 70 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in a 133–123 win over the San Antonio Spurs. By reaching this mark, he became the ninth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game,[204] as well as the first player in NBA history to register at least 70 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game.[205]
On that same night of January 22, 2024,Karl-Anthony Towns of theMinnesota Timberwolves scored a career-high 62 points, in a 128–125 loss to theCharlotte Hornets. It was the fourth time in NBA history that two different players scored at least 60 points on the same night,[206][207] and the third time that it specifically had one player score at least 70 and another player score at least 60.[208][209]
On January 26, 2024,Luka Dončić scored 73 points in a game against theAtlanta Hawks, the most points scored in a single game sinceKobe Bryant's 81-point performance in 2006.[211]
Also on January 26, 2024,Devin Booker of thePhoenix Suns scored 62 points (with 29 points scored in the first quarter alone) in a 133–131 loss to theIndiana Pacers.[212] By extension, it was the fifth time in NBA history (and the second time in a week) that two different players scored at least 60 points on the same night,[206][207] and the fourth time that it specifically had one player score at least 70 and another player score at least 60.[208][209]
On February 2, 2024,Russell Westbrook became the 25th player to score 25,000 points, and also joinedLeBron James as the only players with 25,000 points, 9,000 assists and 8,000 rebounds.[213]
On February 8, 2024, the NBA announced that the In-Season Tournament will be renamed theNBA Cup, after the name of its trophy.[214]
On February 14, 2024,Stephen Curry became the first player to make seven or more three-pointers in four consecutive games.[215]
On March 2, 2024,LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points.[216]
On March 3, 2024, theBoston Celtics became the first team in NBA history to have three 50-point wins in one season, with a 140–88 victory over theGolden State Warriors.[217]
On March 10, 2024, Anthony Davis became the first player in NBA history to record 25-plus points, 25-plus rebounds, 5-plus assists and 5-plus steals in a single game, with 27 points, 25 rebounds, 7 steals and 5 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves.[219]
On March 11, 2024,Daniel Gafford of theDallas Mavericks set the NBA record for most consecutive made field goals in a row (dating as far back as the1996–97 NBA season when play-by-play data first started being tracked) with 28 straight made field goals as of that day, with Gafford nearing a record set byWilt Chamberlain unofficially back in 1967.[220][221] Gafford later added five more made baskets to extend his record to 33 made baskets in a row, but fell short of Chamberlain's unofficial record by two following a missed basket early during their March 14 loss to theOklahoma City Thunder.
On March 17, 2024, Duncan Robinson became the fastest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 3-pointers on his 343rd game, surpassingBuddy Hield's record of 350 games.[222]
On April 1, 2024,Devin Booker tied a record set byWilt Chamberlain during the1961–62 season by being the only players to record three consecutive games of scoring more than 50 points against a single opponent.[223]
On April 14, 2024, for the first time in NBA history the top three teams of a conference (the Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves of the Western Conference) went into the final game of the season with an identical record (all were on 56–25).[224]
