FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, the NBA logo is displayed at center court during an NBA first-round playoff basketball game between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. NBA training camps open around the league Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020,though on-court sessions will be limited to individual workouts and only for those players who have gotten three negative coronavirus test results back in the last few days. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

NBA Schedule 2022: Regular Season, Playoffs, Finals and Key Dates Reportedly Revealed

Rob GoldbergJun 10, 2021

The NBA announced notable dates for the 2021-22 season Thursday, including the start of the regular season on Oct. 19.

The dates put the league mostly back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic threw off the past two seasons.

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The NBA held condensed 2020-21 campaign, with 72 games that ran from Dec. 22 through May 16. The 2021-22 schedule features about an additional month of regular-season time, similar to past years.

This season's busy schedule was especially an issue regarding injuries, with Baxter Holmes of ESPN reporting in April that All-Stars had missed about 15 percent of games.

"Hands down, it's the worst schedule I've seen in 25 years in the league," an assistant coach said. "It's utterly insane."

The 2022 NBA draft also returns to its familiar setting in June, shortly after the end of the playoffs and much closer to the conclusion of the college basketball season.

The 2021 draft is scheduled for July 29, while the 2020 version took place Nov. 18.