By Cameron Lee
August 13, 2026
Photo: Kurt Shackelford / CLTure
The full 2026-27 NBA schedule has been revealed, and with all of the Hornets’ non-nationally televised games airing locally on WSOC Channel 9 and TV64, there will be plenty to cheer about following an offseason that saw the team trade its most marketable player, LaMelo Ball, along with Josh Green, to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid and significant draft capital.
The most notable game of the season for Hornets fans will be Ball’s scheduled return to Charlotte on Presidents’ Day, when the Hornets host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a noon matinee on February 15 as part of the NBA’s holiday quadrupleheader on NBC. The matchup is one of six Hornets games scheduled for national television, including home games on February 4 vs. Boston (7:30 p.m., Prime) and February 13 vs. Dallas (3 p.m., Prime), along with road matchups on January 19 at Dallas (8 p.m., NBC), January 29 at Minnesota (9:30 p.m., ESPN), and March 8 at Indiana (7 p.m., Peacock).
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The Hornets will face the NBA’s newest superteam, the Philadelphia 76ers, four times this season, with the first two meetings taking place at Spectrum Center on Saturday, October 31 (6 p.m.) and Monday, December 21 (7 p.m.). Other notable games on the calendar include the Knicks’ lone visit to the Queen City on Friday, March 26 (7 p.m.); a New Year’s Eve matinee against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, December 31 (1 p.m.); Steph Curry’s annual homecoming against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, February 5 (7 p.m.); Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, January 31 (7 p.m.); and two home games against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Friday, November 6 (7 p.m.) in Emirates NBA Cup play and Thursday, February 4 (7:30 p.m.).
Fans will get their first look at No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and the new-look Washington Wizards on October 26, with another home matchup on November 30. The Hornets will also have two home games against the Detroit Pistons (November 2 and March 24), with whom they have developed a heated rivalry following last season’s bench-clearing scuffles, as well as an opportunity to avenge their disappointing Play-In Tournament loss to the Orlando Magic in front of the home crowd on December 29 and January 25.
Other notable stars scheduled to visit The Hive this season include Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat on October 24 and March 30; Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets on January 22; Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets on January 7; and UNC one-and-done phenom Caleb Wilson and the Chicago Bulls on November 25 in the Hornets’ second scheduled home Emirates NBA Cup game.
The season will tip off for the Hornets on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, October 21, followed by the home opener at Spectrum Center on Friday, October 23, against the Atlanta Hawks, where hometown fans will likely get their first live look at rookies Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson, as well as new additions Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. The Hornets will also have a new point guard leading the team in Coby White, while Kon Knueppel will look to follow up his record-breaking rookie season, and Brandon Miller will aim to improve on his 20.2 points per game and 43.5% shooting from last season.
matcha moose 🍵🫎
schedule release party happening til 3 at truist center plaza! pic.twitter.com/waEQ9pwvtR
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) August 13, 2026
The Hornets celebrated the schedule release with a free party at Truist Center Plaza and unveiled a social media collaboration with Chess.com for the announcement, featuring Hornets players Kon Knueppel, Coby White, Brandon Miller, Moussa Diabaté, Naz Reid and Grant Williams, along with chess masters Levy Rozman (GothamChess) and Sam Copeland.
chess, not checkers.♟️
Presented by Judi Health pic.twitter.com/0AAYu6Hz7Q
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) August 13, 2026
All non-nationally televised games will air on WSOC Channel 9 and TV64, with radio broadcasts on WFNZ (92.7 FM). Additional details about markets and television stations outside Charlotte in the Carolinas, along with a direct-to-consumer streaming platform, will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for all games will go on sale to the general public Saturday, August 15 (10 a.m.) at Hornets.com.
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