NBA Training Camps Open September 29th: What Comes Before Opening Night

An NBA basketball rests on a blue court inside an arena.

NBA training camps open September 29th, and preseason games begin October 3rd. The NBA’s official calendar confirms those two milestones as teams move toward the 2026–27 season. For fans, the immediate change is the return of organized preparation and a fresh round of questions about how teams will play.

Legion Report’s camp guide identifies September 28th as media day for 28 teams. Houston and Dallas follow an earlier camp schedule because of their preseason trip to Macao. That distinction explains why some teams are already working while much of the league is still approaching its first practice.

The Rockets and Mavericks opened camp on September 22nd, ahead of their October 9th and October 11th meetings in Macao. Dallas holds media day on September 25th. The staggered dates reflect travel plans, so an early start should not be read as evidence that one club is further ahead competitively.

For everyone following the next wave of interviews, media day and training camp serve different purposes. Public comments can reveal a coach’s priorities or a player’s expectations. Practice and exhibition games provide a chance to examine how those ideas translate into lineups, roles, and on-court decisions.

The preseason is also a different stage from the regular season. Exhibition results do not count in the standings, and a brief appearance or unusual lineup needs context. Minutes, player availability, and the combinations a coaching staff tries can be more informative than treating each final score as a prediction.

Opening night follows on October 20th. Until then, fans have time to assess developments without declaring a contender or writing off a roster after a single exhibition. Team announcements should remain the reference for individual practice access, broadcast details, and changes to availability.

PowerPage’s broader sports coverage continues alongside the basketball buildup. The next useful checkpoint is the transition from offseason expectations to camp observations—and then the first opportunities to test those observations against exhibition competition.