The 2026-27 NBA season opens on Tuesday, October 20 with three games on national television: the Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET, the New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET, and the Oklahoma City Thunder meet the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET. Rosters are set as of October 19.

That opening weekend has been a pattern in recent seasons: the first few games tend to look different from what follows. Rosters are still settling, some rotation spots are open, and the pace in the first ten days rarely holds. If you are buying a basketball jersey right now, that is worth knowing — you are buying into a team before its identity has fully formed.

Who to watch in 2026-27

A few names will shape how this season reads:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to make his Miami Heat debut on October 21, when Miami hosts Minnesota. That single line in the standings matters more than most.
• Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors open against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21 at 10 p.m. ET.
• LeBron James makes his Philadelphia home debut on October 22 when the 76ers face Cleveland.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City into a matchup with Nikola Jokić and Denver on October 22.

Beyond the stars, watch how the young cores resolve. Rosters reset every summer, and the teams that went deep last year rarely look identical in October.

Choosing a basketball jersey that actually fits

Most sizing problems come down to two things people have not thought about.

The cut matters more than the size. Basketball jerseys are cut wider through the chest and shorter in the body than a t-shirt. If you are between sizes, the smaller one is usually the better call — the fit is meant to be close, and it will sit the way it should on a player.

Numbers are printed, not woven. A printed number sits on the surface and stays crisp through washing; a woven or heat-pressed number can crack at the edges over time. If you are buying a pro-grade jersey to last, look for the print method the listing actually specifies rather than assuming.

Measure before you order. A chest measurement taken over a normal shirt, not stretched, tells you more than a size chart does.

What to wear on opening night

Opening weekend is when most people buy their first jersey of a season, and team colors matter more than most brands admit. Home, away and city editions get produced in different quantities, and the popular choice sells out first. If there is a specific player in mind, start there rather than with the team.

Custom printed jerseys take production time before they ship, so the sooner you order, the sooner it arrives. Our basketball jersey collection covers all 30 teams.

The rest of the season at a glance

| Date | What happens |

| --- | --- |

| Oct 20 | Regular season opens |

| Oct 30 | NBA Cup group play begins |

| Nov 27 | NBA Cup group play concludes |

| Dec 4–5 | NBA Cup knockout rounds, quarterfinals |

| Dec 8–9 | NBA Cup semifinals |

| Dec 11 | NBA Cup Championship |

| Dec 25 | Five games on Christmas Day |

| Apr 11 | Regular season ends |

The NBA Cup runs on Friday nights through November 27, which lines up neatly with holiday shopping. If you want a specific team color for a specific game, checking the Cup schedule early means you order when stock is still deep.

City, home and away editions

Once a team has established itself, most of them offer more than one way to wear it.

Home is the default — the color you see on court most weeks, and usually the one with the widest range of player options.

City editions pull from the team's visual identity rather than its uniform set, so the color is often unexpected. They tend to be produced in smaller runs, which means the popular players sell through first.

Away flips the palette for contrast against home uniforms. Historically these have been harder to find than home, and the sizing runs a little different because the design changes the cut.

All three are the same quality tier, so the choice is aesthetic rather than a step up or down. Worth knowing that the non-home editions move through inventory faster than people expect — if you have been thinking about a city edition for a specific player, that is a reason to order this week rather than in November.

When a roster stays unsettled

October is the awkward month for buying. Training camps open late September, rosters are set October 19, and the first few games can look unlike the team that settles into its identity by November.

Two things are worth doing:

If you are buying a team jersey with no player name, the risk is low. Buy for the team and colors you actually want to wear, and the season will sort out the rest.

If you are buying a specific player, wait. A player who leaves in a trade before December leaves you with a name that no longer belongs on that team. This is the most common way a jersey ends up in the back of a closet.

The other version of this: buy the player, but on a team you would be happy to see them on. That is a reasonable position too, and it widens the pool considerably.

Common mistakes at season start

• Buying four colors of the same team. If you want variety, the other four teams in the division or the conference are cheaper per distinct look.
• Assuming the pre-season is the season. Club and city editions are plentiful in September and scarce in February.
• Over-ordering before sizes are known. Custom printed jerseys take 7–21 business days to produce plus 7–21 to deliver, so a wrong size is a two-month mistake rather than a two-week one.

Questions we get every October

When should I order if I want it for the opener?

Custom printed jerseys take 7–21 business days to produce and another 7–21 to deliver, so a custom order placed today will not arrive for opening night. A ready-made piece dispatches in 1–7 business days. If the opener matters, order ready-made — and if the specific player only comes custom, order well ahead and accept a later arrival.

Which edition sells out first?

Usually the City edition, because it is the least obvious choice and the run is smaller. Home has the widest range. If you know you want City for a specific player, that is a reason to order early rather than in February.

What if my team has not finalised its roster?

Then a team jersey without a name is the safe purchase. It will still be the right team, and rosters rarely change the colour or the look.

Do you carry last season's players?

Player listings change constantly through the offseason. If a name matters, check the listing rather than assuming — and if it is not there, ask. Custom orders cover most players, including ones who moved teams.

How many numbers can I choose from?

Any you want, within reason. The constraint that actually matters is print production time, not the number itself.

Will a fitted version run smaller?

Yes, and noticeably so. Fitted follows the body closer than a standard cut, so take your normal size rather than sizing down as you would with a standard basketball jersey.

Start here

Browse all NBA jerseys, NBA All Star jerseys, or this season's new arrivals. The 2026-27 season hub has every team in one place.

Questions about sizing or a specific player? Send them through and we will tell you honestly what will and will not work.