NBA Announces No Games Will Be Played on Election Day

The NBA will play no games on Election Day this season in an effort to encourage fans to “make a plan to vote during midterm elections” on Nov. 8, the league announced Tuesday. 

According to an official press release, the scheduling decision came out of the “NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement.” Over the next few months, teams will distribute information on their state’s voting process and voter registration deadlines.

Additionally, all 30 teams will play Nov. 7, the night before Election Day. Clubs will be encouraged to use those games to “amplify the work of each team to promote civic engagement in their respective markets and share important voting resources from our partners,” the NBA said in the release.

The scheduling move is a rare one for the NBA, which hosted at least three games on each of the Election Days between 2012 and ’18, including eight matchups in ’14. 

“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,” James Cadogan, executive director of the NBA Social Justice Coalition said in an interview with MSNBC’s Shaquille Brewster. “That’s part of the value proposition that we want to make sure people understand. That voting is unlike anything else.”

The NBA also announced that it will reveal the complete 2022–23 league schedule, including its slate of national TV games, on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.