Which NBA stars are we likely to see at the 2028 Olympics?
LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the US team to another gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. And that’s a good thing, because in 2028 the team will look VERY different. But which stars will we see again?
The schedules of all 30 NBA teams were released on Thursday afternoon and the Thunder’s hunt for the 57-win mark begins with a corresponding test.
Oklahoma City will open its season in Denver on October 24, where TNT will host a meeting between the top two teams in the Western Conference a year ago. This is a stark contrast to last year’s season opener, when OKC opened its season in Chicago.
This is followed by another away game at the start of the season against Chicago, this time with an additional dynamic: the first reunion with the now former Thunder guard Josh Giddey.
In their first home game on October 27, the Thunder will host Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks, whose ranks include number 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher.
The Thunder’s first return match against the Dallas Mavericks, who eliminated OKC in the Western Division semifinals in May, will take place on November 17 at the Paycom Center.
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OKC’s first meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, now a full-fledged rival and another Western Conference contender, is on New Year’s Eve. This season’s series is relatively close; the remaining three games all take place in an 11-day period from February 13-24, with a back-to-back starting in Minnesota and ending in OKC.
OKC’s NBA Cup schedule begins with a game against the Phoenix Suns on November 15, followed by nationally televised road games against the Spurs and Lakers and a game against the Jazz on December 3 to close out the group stage.
The Thunder will end their season on April 13 with a game against the Pelicans in New Orleans.
At one point last season, coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged that development, not ranking, was the priority, even though OKC had plenty of wins. That season ended with 57 wins and one of the closest races in conference history, the league’s youngest ever No. 1 ranking.
Given the talent pool around MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the importance of home-field advantage in the bloodthirsty West, it will be difficult for the Thunder to turn their attention away from seeding this season.
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Thursday, October 24: in Denver, 9 p.m. (TNT)
Sat., Oct. 26: in Chicago, 7 p.m.
Sun., 27 Oct.: Atlanta, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 30th: San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Fri., Nov. 1: in Portland, 9 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 2: at LA Clippers, 9:30 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 4: Orlando, 8:15 p.m.
Wednesday, November 6: in Denver, 8 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 8: Houston, 7 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 10: Golden State, 6 p.m.
Monday, November 11th: LA Clippers, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Wednesday, November 13th: New Orleans, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, November 15: Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Sun., 17 Nov.: Dallas, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, November 19: in San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. (TNT)
Wednesday, November 20: Portland, 7 p.m.
Monday, November 25th: in Sacramento, 9 p.m. (NBATV)
Wednesday, November 27: at Golden State, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, November 29th: at the LA Lakers, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Sun., 1 Dec.: in Houston, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 3: Utah, 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 5: Toronto, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., 7 Dec.: in New Orleans, 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 19: in Orlando, 6 p.m. (TNT)
Fri., 20 Dec.: in Miami, 7 p.m.
Mon., 23 Dec.: Washington, 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 26: in Indiana, 6 p.m. (NBATV)
Sat., 28 Dec.: in Charlotte, 5 p.m. (NBATV)
Sun., 29 Dec.: Memphis, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 31st: Minnesota, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Thursday, January 2: LA Clippers, 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 3: New York, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Sun., 5 Jan.: Boston, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 8: in Cleveland, 6 p.m.
Friday, January 10: in New York, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., 12 January: in Washington, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, January 14: in Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Thursday, January 16: Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Friday, January 17: in Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., 19 Jan.: Brooklyn, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, January 22: Utah, 7 p.m.
Thursday, January 23: Dallas, 7 p.m.
Sun., 26 Jan.: in Portland, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, January 29: at Golden State, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Sat., 1 Feb.: Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Mon., 3 Feb.: Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 5: Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Friday, February 7: Toronto, 7 p.m.
Sat., 8 February: in Memphis, 7 p.m.
Mon., 10 February: New Orleans, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 12: Miami, 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 13: in Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Friday, February 21: in Utah, 8:30 p.m.
Sun., 23 Feb.: in Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, February 24: Minnesota, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Wednesday, February 26: in Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, February 28: in Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., March 2: in San Antonio, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Mon., March 3: Houston, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 5: in Memphis, 7 p.m.
Fri., March 7: Portland, 7 p.m.
Sun., 9 March: Denver, 12pm (ABC)
Mon., March 10: Denver, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Wednesday, March 12: in Boston, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sat., March 15: in Detroit, 6 p.m.
Sun., 16 March: in Milwaukee, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, March 19: Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Fri., 21 March: Charlotte, 7pm
Sun., 23 March: at LA Clippers, 8 p.m. (NBATV)
Tuesday, March 25: in Sacramento, 9 p.m. (TNT)
Thursday, March 27: Memphis, 7 p.m.
Sat., March 29: Indiana, 7 p.m.
Mon., March 31: Chicago, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 2: Detroit, 7 p.m.
Fri., April 4: in Houston, 7 p.m.
Sun., 6 April: LA Lakers, 2:30 p.m. (NBATV)
Tuesday, April 8: LA Lakers, 7pm
Wednesday, April 9: in Phoenix, 9 p.m.
Fri., April 11: in Utah, 8:30 p.m.
Sun., April 13: in New Orleans, 2:30 p.m.