The NBA released its 2026-27 regular-season schedule on Thursday, laying out the Los Angeles Lakers road for the 2026-27 season.
The Lakers will have 34 nationally televised games, 15 back-to-back sets, three five-game home stands, and a Christmas reunion in L.A. against LeBron James.
Some notes on the #Lakers schedule:
— Carlos Yakimowich (@CarlosYakJr) August 13, 2026
- 34 national games
- 15 back-to-backs
- 7-game road trip (longest) from Jan. 28-Feb. 8
- 3 five-game homestands
- LeBron returns on Christmas Day
- Face LeBron second time in Philly on March 4
- Final 5 games are at home https://t.co/W8MfyvioYi
The Lakers will open the season Oct. 21 against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, beginning the Lakers’ first full season in eight years without James.
It will be an unusual sight for Lakers fans: James back at Crypto.com Arena, this time in a Sixers uniform.
The Lakers will face James again for the final time on March 4 in Philadelphia.
L.A.’s revamped roster, now led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, will face its busiest stretch late in the season. The Lakers will play five games in seven days from March 11 to 17.
That stretch begins with home games on consecutive nights against the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers will then host Golden State on March 14, visit Portland on March 16 and return home to face Phoenix the next night.
The team’s longest road trip will feature seven games in 12 days from Jan. 28 through Feb. 8.
The Lakers will visit Indiana, New York, Charlotte, Boston, Brooklyn, San Antonio and Phoenix. The trip includes a back-to-back against the Knicks and the Hornets.
And you can't forget the Lakers-Celtics rivalry games with two nationally televised meetings. L.A. will host Boston on Jan. 7 before visiting the Celtics on Feb. 2 during its seven-game road trip.
But good news for the Lakers and what will likely be a tight Western Conference late in the season: they will finish the regular season with five straight games at home, which could help if they are fighting for playoff position.
James will not be the only former Laker facing his old team with seven players exiting from last season's roster.
Rui Hachimura will make his first appearance against the Lakers with the Clippers on Oct. 23, two nights after the season opener. Jaxson Hayes will face L.A. with the Utah Jazz on Oct. 25.
That Oct. 25 game will also mark Walker Kessler’s first matchup against Utah since the Lakers acquired the center from the Jazz in a blockbuster offseason trade.
Luke Kennard’s first game against the Lakers with the Suns will come Nov. 15. Marcus Smart will face his former team for the first time when L.A. visits the Houston Rockets on Nov. 30, while Deandre Ayton will face the Lakers with the Washington Wizards on Jan. 5.
Lakers’ holiday schedule
- Halloween — Oct. 31: No game
- Veterans Day — Nov. 11: At Milwaukee
- Thanksgiving — Nov. 26: No game
- Christmas Eve — Dec. 24: No game
- Christmas Day — Dec. 25: vs. Philadelphia on ABC
- New Year’s Eve — Dec. 31: At New Orleans
- New Year’s Day — Jan. 1: No game
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Jan. 18: No game
- Valentine’s Day — Feb. 14: No game
- Presidents Day — Feb. 15: No game
- St. Patrick’s Day — March 17: vs. Phoenix on ESPN
- Easter Sunday — March 28: At Houston on ESPN
With a lot of new faces in the building, the Lakers’ season will depend on how quickly they come together when the schedule begins testing its chemistry.