Report: Oklahoma City Thunder to host Houston Rockets for 2025-26 Opening Night.
When the NBA champion receives their ring, a familiar face will be in attendance. The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Houston Rockets for the 2025-26 Opening Night on Oct. 21, per ESPN's Shams Charania. It will also mark the first game of the NBC broadcast era.
The rest of the 2025-26 regular season schedule will be released later this month. The Thunder will enter the season as a popular championship choice. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren headline the NBA champion.
Kevin Durant will be on the other side of the court when the Thunder receive their championship rings and the banner gets unveiled in a pregame ceremony. It's been a tradition for the NBA champion to play on Opening Night every season, so it shouldn't be surprising to see them included.
Of course, Durant had an ugly divorce from the Thunder in 2016. He's set to make his Rockets debut against his old squad. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander will start his reign as NBA champion against the player most previously thought to be the greatest in OKC history.
It's the perfect Opening Night for the NBA. The Thunder get their rings and Durant returns to OKC. Throw in the natural OKC-Houston rivalry and you get a juicy first game to kick off the season. The Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Lakers for the second game of the double-header.
🚨🚨🚨Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season on NBC on Oct. 21, per sources:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025
- Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Report: Thunder to host Rockets for 2025-26 Opening Night
Category: Basketball
