Why Are There No NBA Games Today? League Encourages Fans to Prioritize Voting on US Election Day
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Nearly two weeks into the 2024/25 NBA season, fans are about to experience the first break in the action. On 5th November, all 30 NBA teams will be off the court, marking the season’s first basketball-free day. So, why have NBA officials opted for this one-day pause?
The reason behind the one-day break isn’t as surprising when you scratch the surface. The NBA has hit the pause button on basketballing action in observance of Election Day in the United States. On Tuesday, US citizens will have the opportunity to choose between Donald Trump (Republican) or Kamala Harris (Democrat) and elect their next president. Therefore, the league has decided to take a break and encourage fans to prioritize civic duties over NBA fandom.
However, the NBA didn’t always take a break on Election Day. In fact, the league introduced this stoppage for the first time during the 2022-23 season. This season’s pause is the NBA's latest move in a series of efforts to encourage nonpartisan civic involvement. Through initiatives like this year’s “Get in the Game” campaign, the league is once again championing the importance of civic engagement. James Cadogan, the Executive Director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, said this in an interview with NBC News, “It’s unusual. We don’t usually change the schedule for an external event, but voting and Election Day are obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy.” He added further, “That’s part of the value proposition that we want to make sure people understand, that voting is unlike anything else.”
Election Day is one of a few select dates with no scheduled NBA games this season (barring any last-minute changes). After Election Day, however, NBA Cup action will take over each Tuesday for the remainder of November, starting on 12th November. Besides US Election Day, other upcoming basketball-free days include Thanksgiving (28th November) and Christmas Eve (24th December). December’s schedule also has a few open dates, which will be updated based on NBA Cup results. Following the Election Day pause, NBA action will be back in full swing on Wednesday, 6th November, with 12 games featuring 24 teams ready to hit the court.
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