The 2026–27 NBA season is officially underway, and for basketball fans around campus, opening week brought plenty of reasons to check phone alerts, tune into games, and chat about the league between classes.
Major Headlines
Opening week delivered plenty of immediate storylines for students to dissect. Between watching Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs battle SGA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and checking out the early dynamics of revamped rosters across the league, there was no shortage of action.
But the season opener also came with bad news for many fans. “It really sucks to see these great players getting injured so early on,” said Roehm Tiu (‘27), referring to the recently injured Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Edwards.
From the Grad Lounge to the Atrium
In the grad lounge, some spent their lunch period rewatching key highlights and talking about team rivalries.
Many students expressed that their busy schedules made it “nearly impossible to watch full games,” including our very own school captain Willem Urban (‘27). For Saints students, following the sports they love now mostly means watching clips and highlights. This sentiment was echoed across the grad class, with Josh Wong (‘27) stating that clips are “the only way I can keep up during application season.”
For others, keeping up with the league helps relieve some of that stress, with Carl Hu (‘27) stating that “watching basketball is definitely one of those fun things I can do that isn’t working on college apps.”
In our various student-run fantasy basketball leagues, opening week carried an extra layer of stakes. “I’m the king,” explained Brian Shao (‘27), who participates in a league with his classmates as well as Saints alumni. “With Jokic, Flagg, Jalen Johnson, Haliburton, and Booker on my team, not even Eric Wang’s waiver-wire masterclass can stop me.”
The fantasy craze has even reached the faculty. “I’d love to join a Saints or teachers’ fantasy league if somebody made one,” said Mr. Vidic.
But for some fans, the season is less about drafting fantasy teams and more about keeping up with their favorite players. Mr. Vidic stated that if he could bring one NBA player into his classroom, he would choose Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham to speak to his students about overcoming setbacks. His answer demonstrates how massively successful pro athletes still experience stress and self-doubt, just like our students.
For other students, including Adonai Mugisha (‘27), the Pop-a-Shot in the Brown atrium is a great way to emulate their favourite players.
And the competition doesn’t stop at school. At home, students take it to NBA 2K, often against siblings or friends, playing as their favourite teams. “It’s lob city up in Portland,” said Josh Wong (’27).
Looking to the Season Ahead
Opening week is only a snippet of an 82-game marathon, but it sets the baseline for the months to come. As the season moves out of opening week, the discussion around the NBA will only become more spirited.
You can check out The TOP Plays of NBA Opening Week here.
