For the first time there will be no coaching changes entering training camp.
The preseason began on September 30 and will end on October 13.
International games
The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves will play two preseason games in China, at Shenzhen on October 5 and Shanghai on October 8.
Regular season
The regular season will begin on October 17, 2017. Christmas Day games will be played on December 25, 2017. The regular season will end on April 11, 2018.
International games
On August 9, 2017, the NBA announced that the Brooklyn Nets would play two regular season games at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico. On December 7, 2017, the Nets would play against the Oklahoma City Thunder and on December 9, 2017, they would match up against the Miami Heat.
On August 10, 2017, the NBA announced that the Philadelphia 76ers would play the Boston Celtics at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom on January 11, 2018.
Arenas
This will be the Detroit Pistons' first season at Little Caesars Arena after playing at The Palace of Auburn Hills from 1988 to 2017. The team will play their first game there against the Charlotte Hornets on October 18, 2017. This will also mark the first time the Pistons have regularly played in the city of Detroit since 1978.[12]
This will be the Milwaukee Bucks' final season at the Bradley Center, their home since 1988. The team will play its final game there on April 9 against the Orlando Magic. The team is scheduled to move into the new Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center prior to the start of the 2018–19 NBA season.[13]
The Washington Wizards home arena, the Verizon Center, was renamed to Capital One Arena.[14]
The Toronto Raptors owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment announce that their Air Canada Centre arena will be renamed Scotiabank Arena at the end of the 2017–18 season.[15]
Media
This will be the second season of the current nine-year contracts with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
Uniforms
Nike will be the official on-court apparel provider beginning with the 2017–18 season.[16] During this time, each team will be provided with four different jersey apparel that will be displayed throughout the seasons: the "Association Edition", "Icon Edition", "Statement Edition" (tentatively called the Athlete's Mindset), and "Community Edition" jerseys will replace the more typical home and road jersey ideas with alternatives also being included as well. In addition to those jerseys, eight teams will also be provided a "Classic Edition" jersey to commemorate some of their past designs throughout the season.
The Charlotte Hornets will use an Air Jordan-branded apparel, which is endorsed by their owner Michael Jordan and is owned by Nike.[17]
The Cleveland Cavaliers debuted their new uniforms for the 2017–18 season after unveiling the new logo on May 31, 2017.[18]
The Detroit Pistons debuted their new uniforms for the 2017–18 season after unveiling the new logo on May 17, 2017.[19]
The Indiana Pacers debuted their new uniforms for the 2017–18 season after unveiling new alternate logos and home floor along with their uniforms on July 28, 2017.[20][21]
The Minnesota Timberwolves debuted their new uniforms for the 2017–18 season after unveiling the new logo on April 11, 2017,[22] and unveiling their new uniforms on August 10, 2017.[23]
The Portland Trail Blazers debuted their new uniforms for the 2017–18 season after unveiling the new logo on May 8, 2017,[24] and unveiling their new uniforms on July 29, 2017.[25]
Uniform sponsorships
Advertisements begin to appear on league uniforms starting this season. As of September 21, 2017, Sixteen teams have confirmed to sign uniform sponsorship deals:
Atlanta Hawks – Sharecare[26]
Boston Celtics – General Electric[27]
Brooklyn Nets – Infor[28]
Cleveland Cavaliers – Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company[29]
Denver Nuggets – Western Union[30]
Detroit Pistons - Flagstar Bank[31]
Golden State Warriors - Rakuten[32]
Los Angeles Lakers – Wish[33]
Miami Heat - Ultimate Software[34]
Milwaukee Bucks – Harley-Davidson[35]
Minnesota Timberwolves – Fitbit[36]
Orlando Magic – The Walt Disney Company[37]
Philadelphia 76ers – StubHub[38]
Sacramento Kings – Blue Diamond Growers[39]
Toronto Raptors – Sun Life Financial[40]
Utah Jazz – Qualtrics[41]
Notable occurrences
On July 6, 2017, the NBA unveiled an update to its logo, featuring new typography and a modified color scheme.
The regular season will start eight days earlier than the previous season. This move by the NBA aims for fewer "back-to-back" games, even fewer than the previous season which had already reached an all-time low to help address teams that are "resting" their superstars.[1]
The NBA have decreased the maximum number of timeouts in a game from eighteen to fourteen. The three team timeouts during the last two minutes of the game was also decreased to two per team in the last three minutes to improve the flow and pace of the game.[43]
The trade deadline was moved from four days after the NBA All-Star Game to ten days before so teams can settle their rosters before the All-Star break.[44]
Free-throw shooters will be assessed a delay-of-game violation if they venture outside of the three-point line in between attempts.[45]
The NBA also introduces the addition of two-way contract players, signifying an increasing partnership between the NBA and the newly branded NBA G League.[46]
Referees can now assess dangerous closeouts of defenders to jump shooters with little space to land for a technical or a flagrant foul. Informally dubbed as the "Zaza rule".[47][48] Also, officials can now assess if a player is in a shooting motion when determining if a perimeter foul is a shooting or a common foul. The type of foul will be determined on the sequencing of the player's movement if the foul happened before or after the player starts a shooting motion. Additionally, they can also assess an offensive foul if an offensive player intentionally lunged into the defender or locked arms to create contact. Informally dubbed as the "Harden rule".[49][50]
On September 28, 2017, the NBA board of governors approved the changes to draft lottery system to discourage teams from losing on purpose. Starting with the 2018–19 NBA season, teams with three worst records will have equal odds at the #1 pick. In addition, the revised draft lottery will consist of selecting the top four teams instead of the usual three that occurred for over two decades.[51] The approval for the change was nearly unanimous, with the exceptions of the Oklahoma City Thunder being the only team to vote against and the Dallas Mavericks abstaining from voting.[52]
On October 3, 2017, the NBA and NBPA announced the changes to the NBA All-Star Game format. The vote leaders for each conferences will be assigned as team captains and will be able to select players from the rest of the starters and the reserves, regardless of the conference they play in, to form their own teams. The newly formed teams will also play for a charity of choice to help the games remain competitive. This marks the first time, the conferences will not play against each other since the inaugural All-Star game. Selection process will remain the same.
The 2017–18 NBA season will be the 72nd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season will begin on October 17, 2017, earlier than previous seasons to reduce the number of "back-to-back" games teams are scheduled to play, with the 2017 runners-up Cleveland Cavaliers hosting a game against the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Christmas games will be played on December 25. The 2018 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 18, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The regular season will end on April 11, 2018 and the playoffs will begin on April 14, 2018.
