NBA Finals begin June 3 on ABC

The NBA has set June 3, 2026, as the start date for the next NBA Finals, with ABC carrying the championship series exclusively, according to league schedule pages published this month. The league’s Finals schedule lists Game 1 for Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, followed by Game 2 on June 5 and Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and June 10. The NBA updated its broader playoff schedule page on May 18 with conference-finals matchups and dates. A separate NBA Finals page, updated May 12, lists the same June 3 opening date and ABC as the exclusive broadcaster. ### When does the championship series start, exactly? Wednesday, June 3, is the scheduled date for Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the NBA said on its official Finals page. The league listed a 8:30 p.m. ET tip for Game 1 and the same start time for every game in the series. June 5, June 8 and June 10 are the dates listed for Games 2, 3 and 4. (nba.com) If the series goes longer, the NBA schedule shows Game 5 on June 13, Game 6 on June 16 and Game 7 on June 19. ### Which network has the Finals? ABC is the exclusive broadcaster for the 2026 NBA Finals, according to the NBA’s Finals schedule page. (nba.com) The league’s August 2025 regular-season release had already said ABC would televise the 2026 Finals presented by YouTube TV. The NBA’s 2025-26 schedule release also laid out the new national-rights rotation for the season, with games spread across Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon. (nba.com) Under that release, ABC and ESPN carry parts of the playoff package, while NBC/Peacock and Prime Video also air national games during the season and postseason. (nba.com) ### What is already set before the Finals arrive? May 18 marked the start of the Western Conference finals window, with San Antonio at Oklahoma City in Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, according to the NBA playoff schedule page. The league lists Game 2 for May 20, with Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24. (pr.nba.com) May 19 is the scheduled opener for the Eastern Conference finals, with Cleveland at New York in Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The NBA lists additional East finals games for May 21, May 23 and May 25, with Games 5 through 7, if necessary, running through May 31. ### Why did the full conference-finals window appear now? (nba.com) May 18 is the update date shown on the NBA’s playoff schedule page that now includes both conference-finals matchups and the Finals calendar. The page says it “will be updated each time postseason scheduling is officially announced.” ESPN’s playoff schedule page also says the 2026 NBA Finals begin June 3 and will be broadcast by ABC. (nba.com) ESPN’s playoff bracket shows Cleveland advancing from the Eastern Conference semifinals and New York winning its series, setting the East finals matchup now listed by the league. ### What does the full Finals calendar look like? Seven dates are now on the official schedule: June 3, June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19. The NBA marks Games 5, 6 and 7 as “if necessary,” preserving the standard best-of-seven format for the title round. June 19 is the last possible date on the current calendar for the 2026 season. (espn.com) Before that, the next playoff games on the league schedule are San Antonio at Oklahoma City on May 18 and Cleveland at New York on May 19, with the Finals set to follow on June 3 on ABC. (nba.com)