What to expect from the new NBA season

We are just a few hours away from the opening night of the 2024/25 NBA season, the 79th in the league's history and the 22nd in the career of its most famous and longest-serving player, the almost 40-year-old LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star will be one of the protagonists of the first night when the yellow and purple team takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves. All eyes will be on the two big additions to the team this summer: the arrival of Bronny James, who along with LeBron has formed the incredible father-son duo, and the landing of former player, analyst and podcaster JJ Redick on the bench to make his debut as head coach. First up, however, are the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, who will enjoy the traditional ring ceremony in the minutes leading up to the two-ball. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. will put the coveted celebratory jewellery on their fingers, designed by Jason Arasheben (known as “Jason of Beverly Hills”), one of America's most sought-after jewellers for top athletes, celebrities and public figures.

The four teams selected by the NBA for Opening Night reflect the past few years' choices for season openers, Christmases and special occasions of this nature. Aside from the presence of the defending champions, it's no coincidence that we'll see three of the most-watched teams in the world in action. The game between the Celtics and the Knicks smacks of “your fathers' NBA",” but could also be an appetiser for the final stages of the playoffs. Broadly speaking, these are four teams that, in different ways and for different reasons, offer a variety of insights, curiosities and questions for the season ahead. First, though, there's a moment for a final salute to Dikembe Mutombo and Jerry West, two icons of the game who recently passed away: for “Mr Logo”, the Golden State Warriors (for whom West was an executive from 2011 to 2017) unveiled the design of his initials (JW) on the floor of the Chase Centre, which incidentally will host the All-Star Game next February; the Los Angeles Lakers (in whose jersey West entered the Olympus of basketball), on the other hand, unveiled a commemorative tank top - which will be used throughout the year - with a number, his 44, which is displayed (in yellow lettering, on a purple band, of course) on his left shoulder. And there's a special dedication for the Portland Trail Blazers, too: the recipient is Bill Walton, the architect of the only title in the franchise's history, who also recently passed away.

What's changing in the NBA

Tomorrow night, ten more games and twenty teams will be on the line, with the first real onslaught of star basketball. A good opportunity to take a first look at the most anticipated debuts of those who have changed jerseys this summer: Karl-Anthony Towns in New York, Klay Thompson in Dallas, Paul George in Philadelphia, Chris Paul in San Antonio, Russell Westbrook in Denver, DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento and many others we've seen at recent NBA Media Days and whose on-court debut is now only anticipated. However, the news doesn't stop at the floor and market movements, quite the opposite. The Los Angeles Clippers' home debut against the Phoenix Suns will mark the first official appearance of the Intuit Dome, the gleaming new arena in Inglewood that owner Steve Ballmer so desperately wants. In addition to the league's 30 home venues, this year's calendar will again take in Mexico City (2 November) and Paris (23 and 25 January), having already visited Abu Dhabi for two pre-season outings. Finally, Las Vegas has been confirmed as the venue for the Emirates Cup finals ( the new name of the NBA Cup following the sponsorship agreement with the airline); the only change concerns the design of the court, an aspect that caused much debate last season and in which some franchises, as well as the NBA itself, have opted for a redesign with new colours that will give viewers a sharper look on television.

Nike and the new City Editions

The US basketball league also signed a new agreement with another important partner, which in this case is not new and is closer to the dynamics of the court: the clothing brand Nike, which will continue to be the technical sponsor, supplier of the players' and referees' official vests and more until 2037. And so here they are, the new City Edition jerseys, presented with the usual trappings: sports history symbolism, creative design and fonts, reworked team names and the inevitable discussions among fans about aesthetic preferences. Certainly that of the Boston Celtics, which is rather anonymous, especially by City Edition standards, was not particularly successful, nor was that of the Los Angeles Lakers, which, apart from the innovative inserts with the words “Lake Show",” “California Destiny” and “Leave a Legacy”, is certainly not characterised by creativity. By contrast, the Toronto Raptors jersey with the classic Jurassic Park-style pattern is an evergreen that never gets old and reminds us of Vince Carter's years with the Canadian franchise.

What's new in the rulebook?

Two curious innovations affect the rulebook. The first was enacted directly by the NBA in connection with the so-called “Villanueva Rule",” which since 2009 has prohibited players from using social networks 45 minutes before the game until the end of the press conference. The aim? To limit distractions for the athletes and avoid “hot” contact with the fans, but also to strengthen the defence against possible betting scandals. The second new rule, on the other hand, has a more limited character and is restricted to the environment of the Detroit Pistons, where coach JB Bickerstaff has imposed a rather surprising obligation on his players: they must train in clothing similar to that worn in competition, i.e. no hoodies and accessories, which are prohibited under the official rules.

A few final updates also from the NBA's digital market in Italy. The league confirmed the impressive growth in popularity in our country during the last season, which was confirmed by the opening of the official account on Instagram, and as several data show us: those on the share of the fan base (about 9 million fans, the highest number among American sports), on television viewership (the 2024 Finals streamed live +40% compared to 2023) and on online streaming on NBA League Pass (+24% of subscribers in one season) and on the use of the revamped NBA App (+30% in the amount of weekly users from Italy). And if you are a fan of the “fantasy NBA",” there is also a new platform - modelled on the American one, with private leagues - that has entered the market for fantasy games: STAZ (don't lie), published by Around the Game.