The NBA revealed the complete 2025-2026 season schedules for every team, including the Philadelphia 76ers, on Thursday, Aug. 14. Comparing the Sixers’ schedule to last season’s, there certainly seems to be far less excitement about Philadelphia’s chances of contending.
After beginning the 2024-2025 NBA season, scheduled for 25 nationally televised games, the Sixers have seen that number cut to just 14 this season. Questions around the health of both Joel Embiid and Paul George undoubtedly play a major role, as does the team’s disappointing 13th-place finish in the East last year.
While there is hope for a bounce-back year, especially as the Eastern Conference appears wide open, early medical updates have been far from encouraging.
This season, the Sixers will look to invest as much energy as possible into maintaining the health of their roster. This will likely come in the form of load management, as best can be helped within the NBA’s player resting policy.
However, the Sixers’ schedule itself works against them. It features 16 back-to-backs, tied for the most in the NBA, alongside the Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards. It should be noted that, for all the NBA’s posturing about caring about its players’ health and well-being, they’re insistent on scheduling nearly 40% of teams’ schedules as back-to-backs.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, they must roll with the hand that they were dealt. Excuses will not be tolerated in the event of another disappointing season. Many on the Sixers’ roster and in the front office escaped last season without significant repercussions. Others within the organization were not so lucky.
If the Sixers experience such a failure for a second consecutive season, surely those consequences will be felt on a broader scale, but there’s still a whole season to be played between now and then.
Other notes for the Sixers’ schedule include marquee matchups such as their opening night against the Boston Celtics on Oct. 22, the team’s home opener at the newly named Xfinity Mobile Arena against the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 25, their first game of NBA Cup, which is against the Boston Celtics on Halloween night, their dreaded annual West Coast swing from Feb. 2-9, and their season finale against Milwaukee on April 12.
For the complete schedule, see below:
