NBA's new season begins with Pistons hosting Celtics

In the opening game of the new NBA season, Detroit Pistons will host Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena. Turkish players Alperen Şengün (Houston Rockets), Adem Bona (Philadelphia 76ers) and Tarık Biberovic (Dallas Mavericks) will take the court this season.

Turkish players ready for the season

Two-time All-Star Alperen Şengün aims to reach the playoffs again with the Rockets. The national team player enters his sixth year in the league. Last season he became the first Turkish player to be named an All-Star in consecutive years. The Rockets finished fifth in the Western Conference.

Adem Bona's 76ers strengthened their claim by adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to the roster. Tarık Biberovic will play in the NBA for the first time with the Mavericks.

Title contenders and calendar

In the title race, reigning champion New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs led by Victor Wembanyama, and Oklahoma City Thunder, a force in recent years, are at the front. LeBron James, after playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, will play for the 76ers; as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, he aims to extend his own record.

The last four playoff teams will be decided by a play-in tournament among the teams finishing seventh through tenth in their conferences. Play-in games will be held April 13-16, and All-Star weekend will take place in Phoenix on February 19-21, 2027.