Turner Sports to Tip Off NBA Opening Week with Two Blockbuster NBA on TNT Doubleheaders, Tuesday, Oct. 22 & 24, Plus Expansive Multi-Platform Coverage Across Bleacher Report, House of Highlights & Social Media

Autotrader Premiere Week to Feature New-Look Lakers & Clippers on Opening Night; Zion Williamson’s Debut; Raptors Ring Ceremony; Meeting of Recent Kia NBA MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden & Russell Westbrook & Warriors vs. Clippers to Open New Chase Center in S.F. 

Inside the NBA to Go on the Road for Lakers/Clippers in L.A. on Tuesday & New Chase Center in S.F. for Clippers/Warriors on Thursday

Multi-Platinum Recording Artist Halsey to Perform Live From the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show in Los Angeles 

Turner Sports will officially tip off the 2019-20 NBA regular season with Autotrader Premiere Week featuring a pair of blockbuster NBA on TNT doubleheaders – Tuesday, Oct. 22 and Thursday, Oct. 24 – along with expansive multi-platform coverage across Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and social media. 

TNT’s NBA Opening Night doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 22, will begin with the New Orleans Pelicans and No. 1 overall draft selection Zion Williamson visiting the defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. ET. TNT’s coverage will include Toronto’s ring ceremony prior to the opening tip of Pelicans/Raptors, with expanded pregame coverage starting at 5:30 p.m.

In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers, featuring Anthony Davis’ first regular season appearance alongside LeBron James, will face the LA Clippers and newly-acquired Kawhi Leonard at 10:30 p.m.

[b]Marv Albert [/b]will provide play-by-play for Pelicans/Raptors alongside Chris Webber (analyst) and Kristen Ledlow (reporter), while Kevin Harlan will call Lakers/Clippers with Reggie Miller (analyst) and Allie LaForce (reporter).

TNT’s coverage of Autotrader Premiere Week will continue Thursday, Oct. 24, with a doubleheader beginning with Russell Westbrook teaming up with 2018 Kia NBA MVP James Harden for the first time when the Houston Rockets host the Milwaukee Bucks and 2019 Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo at 8 p.m. The night’s coverage will tip off with an hour-long pregame show at 7 p.m. 

The night’s second game will feature the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry hosting the Clippers and Leonard in the regular season opener for Chase Center at 10:30 p.m.
 
Albert, Webber and Ledlow will call Bucks/Rockets, while Harlan, Miller and LaForce will call Clippers/Warriors.

The Sports Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA Presented by Kia studio team of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson will be on the road in Los Angeles (Tuesday) and San Francisco (Thursday) for Autotrader Premiere Week. 

Tuesday night’s studio coverage - starting at 5:30 p.m. - will be live from the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show in Los Angeles. The expanded, 2.5-hour pregame show will feature special guests, the Toronto Raptors’ ring ceremony and live looks from Toronto’s Jurassic Park, plus a recap from one of the NBA’s most compelling offseasons. The show will also mark the start of the 30th year of Inside the NBA. 

Two nights later, Inside the NBA Presented by Kia will be live from Chase Center in San Francisco throughout Thursday night’s coverage,  providing live pre-game starting at 7 p.m., halftime and post-game coverage from the newly-opened venue in San Francisco.

The NBA on TNT American Express Road Show will originate from Los Angeles on Tuesday, highlighted by TNT’s Inside the NBA and additional live performances throughout the night. Multi-platinum recording artist Halsey will have a performance which will be incorporated throughout that night’s coverage. American Express returns as the title sponsor for Road Show for a fourth year.

Since 2015, Halsey has amassed more than 23 billion streams worldwide and sold more than nine million adjusted albums globally. She’s also the only female artist to have at least three songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 for 50 weeks each, and the first artist to rank at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Songs radio airplay chart. Her single, “Graveyard,” which was released in September amassed over 50 million combined global streams in its first two weeks of release. She shared her newest single, “clementine,” and the accompanying music video on her birthday; the track is from her new album, Manic, which will be released on January 17, 2020 on Capitol Records.

Themed around TNT’s popular Sports Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA, interactive activations will include the Inside the NBA 30th Anniversary Experience where fans can see props from the show and pose for photos at a desk from the show’s set. As part of the experience, fans can get virtual side-by-side access to TNT commentators through a volumetric 3D experience powered by AT&T 5G. Additionally, along with the Road Show Court – where fans can meet NBA Legends and compete for prizes – guests can visit the Custom T-Shirt Station for NBA on TNT-themed apparel. 

Bleacher Report’s wildly popular content and unmatched connectivity with millennial and Gen Z sports audiences will be on full display for NBA Opening Week across TNT, digital and social media. 

B/R’s multi-platform content will include B/R Betting NBA Kickoff Week that will feature live productions from the B/R Studio in Las Vegas, an NBA Tip-Off Game Show Special, collaborations with Turner Sports and NBA talent, and the season two debut of House of Highlights LIVE from B/R’s New York office. 

B/R’s NBA editorial team – including Howard Beck, Mirin Fader, Jonathan Abrams, and others – will pull back the curtain on some of the biggest names and stories this year, including Zion Williamson, who will be making his NBA debut on TNT.

NBA on TNT and NBA TV’s social channels will also offer a wide range of content and programming, including live video across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.