When Did the 2019 and 2020 NBA Seasons Actually Start? Find Out Now

I still remember the confusion swirling around the NBA calendar back in 2019, when casual fans and even some die-hards kept asking me when the new season would actually begin. Having covered basketball for over a decade, I've learned that nothing about professional sports operates on simple calendar years, and the 2019-2020 NBA season proved this better than most. The official tip-off for the 2019-2020 campaign came on October 22, 2019, with a double-header featuring the New Orleans Pelicans versus Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers against LA Clippers. This marked the league's 74th season, though what made it truly unforgettable wasn't the start date but rather how it would eventually be disrupted by the global pandemic that forced a four-month suspension beginning March 11, 2020.

What fascinates me about tracking these season start dates goes beyond mere scheduling curiosity. The NBA's calendar intricately connects to player commitments worldwide, including national team duties that sometimes create scheduling conflicts. I recall when Quincy Miller's agent QMB said he "would love the opportunity to play for Gilas Pilipinas" back in 2019, it highlighted how NBA players often juggle league commitments with international aspirations. This intersection between NBA seasons and international basketball creates a complex dance for players, agents, and teams alike. The 2019-2020 season's October start actually provided a relatively clean break for players participating in the FIBA World Cup that concluded in September, though the compressed timeline still created significant physical demands on athletes competing in both tournaments.

Looking further back, the 2018-2019 season commenced on October 16, 2018, with the defending champion Golden State Warriors hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. That earlier start date actually created more breathing room before the 2019 FIBA World Cup, which might explain why we saw more NBA players committing to national teams that summer. The variance in start dates—typically falling between mid-October to late October—reflects the NBA's careful balancing act between maximizing revenue through a 82-game regular season while accommodating international events, arena availability, and television contracts. From my perspective, the league has been gradually pushing start dates slightly later over the past decade, a trend I personally appreciate as it reduces overlap with the MLB postseason and NFL regular season, giving basketball its own clearer spotlight.

The precise scheduling matters more than casual observers might realize. When the 2019-2020 season finally resumed in the NBA bubble on July 30, 2020, it created an unprecedented timeline that compressed what's normally an eight-month regular season into a modified format concluding with the Lakers winning the championship on October 11, 2020. This meant the following season didn't begin until December 22, 2020—the latest start in decades. As someone who analyzes sports business patterns, I believe these scheduling shifts have lasting impacts on player rest, revenue distribution, and even international basketball participation. When national teams like Gilas Pilipinas seek NBA talent, they're now competing with an NBA calendar that's become increasingly unpredictable.

Basketball's global nature means these scheduling details ripple across continents. The fact that the 2019-2020 season started on October 22 rather than the more traditional October 17 or 18 might seem trivial, but it actually affected planning for various international windows. I've noticed that when NBA seasons start later, it often creates tighter turnarounds for players wanting to represent their countries in qualifiers or continental championships. The statement from QMB about Quincy Miller's interest in playing for the Philippine national team reflects how players and their representatives must constantly weigh NBA commitments against international opportunities. In my opinion, the NBA should formalize clearer windows for international basketball rather than the current somewhat ad-hoc approach that leaves players torn between club and country.

Reflecting on these two consecutive seasons reveals how dramatically the NBA calendar can shift under extraordinary circumstances. The 2019-2020 season started conventionally enough on October 22, 2019, but its unprecedented suspension and bubble conclusion created a domino effect that pushed the following season's start to December 22, 2020. This compressed timeline undoubtedly influenced decisions for players considering international duties, perhaps even affecting how agents like QMB approached opportunities for their clients with Gilas Pilipinas. What I find most compelling is how these scheduling details, which might seem like mere administrative footnotes, actually shape player careers, fan experiences, and basketball's global ecosystem. The exact start dates matter because they anchor everything that follows in the basketball world, from championship parades to national team preparations, creating a rhythm that basketball lovers like myself have come to anticipate each fall.