The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for the 2026-27 regular season, with the team's schedule unveiled to the public. The 17-time NBA champions will face off against the Golden State Warriors on the second day of the regular season, marking the first time since 2018 that the Lakers will not be playing on the league's Opening Night. The team will, however, welcome back former star LeBron James on Christmas Day, as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a marquee 2 p.m. PT timeslot.
The Lakers' full regular season schedule, along with the rest of the league's, has now been released. The team will be showcased on national TV games 34 times, which is almost half of the regular season and the same number as last year. Considering James left town after eight seasons with the organization, it wasn't clear how that would affect the team's national TV slate, although they still will be heavily featured throughout the year.
The Lakers' longest road trip of the upcoming regular season will take place at the end of January into February, with seven straight games away from Crypto.com Arena. Their longest home stand is five games, which will happen three separate times, including the final five games of the regular season.
After having 14 back-to-back sets last year, the Lakers will have 15 this year, which means JJ Redick may have to manage some of his players throughout the course of the regular season. Spectrum SportsNet will serve as the exclusive regional broadcast home for Lakers basketball for the 15th consecutive season. All games can be heard on the team's flagship radio station, ESPN LA 710 AM, and in Spanish on KFWB 980 AM.
Lakers tickets are scheduled to go on sale to the public Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster. The team is also set to participate in the Emirates NBA Cup, with the Lakers placed in West Group C along with the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings.
The format for the tournament will mostly be the same this year. Each team will play four group stage games on 'Cup Nights' in October and November. Following that, eight teams will advance to the knockout stage, each of the six group winners as well as one wildcard team in each conference.
The quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup will take place on Dec. 4 and 5 in team markets, and the same will be the case for the semifinals this year on Dec. 8 and 9. In previous years, the semifinals and finals have been at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This year, however, the finals will be held at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11.
The knockout round games will again be broadcast on Amazon Prime. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to win the Emirates NBA Cup for the second time, and their participation in the tournament is a testament to their commitment to competing at the highest level.
Last result: Los Angeles Lakers 110-115 Oklahoma City Thunder (2026-05-12). Recent form (last 5): 0W-0D-5L (LLLLL, most recent first); lost the last 5.
