Home · Sports · Nov 4 archive
NBA Takes Election Day Break While Other Leagues Play On
Confirmed
In Short: The NBA sat out Election Day for the fourth time in five years, while other sports leagues continued their games.
The NBA took a break from its regular schedule on Tuesday, November 4, 2026, for the fourth time in five years, as part of its ongoing effort to emphasize the importance of voting.
All 30 NBA teams were off on Election Day, with players and teams having worn 'VOTE' shirts during pregame warmups on Monday night to encourage voter participation.
In contrast, other major sports leagues such as the NHL and college football and basketball continued their games on Election Day.
The NHL held 11 games on Tuesday, with eight of them hosted in the United States, while college football saw games in the MAC conference and over 25 college basketball games took place around the country.
The NBA's decision to sit out Election Day began in 2022 and has continued in 2023, 2024, and now 2026, with the exception of 2025 when it was an off-year with only Virginia and New Jersey holding gubernatorial elections.
The NBA has a long-standing tradition of hosting games on Christmas Day for more than 75 years, but it has chosen to pause operations on Election Day to encourage civic engagement.
Players from the Milwaukee Bucks effectively went on strike in 2022 during a time of great social unrest, and other leagues followed suit, highlighting the NBA's commitment to social justice and voter participation.
The NBA's 'VOTE.' campaign stretched across two days, with every team in action on Monday night, spreading awareness for the midterm election around the United States.
While the NBA took a break, NBC provided wall-to-wall Election Day coverage in primetime, underscoring the importance of the midterm elections.
The league's decision to sit out Election Day reflects a broader trend of sports leagues engaging in social and political issues, with the NBA taking a particularly active role.
The NBA's approach to Election Day highlights the league's ongoing efforts to promote civic engagement and social justice, setting it apart from other sports leagues that continued their regular schedules.
What this adds
The NBA's decision to sit out Election Day is part of a broader trend of sports leagues engaging in social and political issues, but the league's approach is unique in its emphasis on voter participation.
Background
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday.
What's confirmed
- The NBA took a break from its regular schedule on Tuesday, November 4, 2026, for the fourth time in five years, as part of its ongoing effort to emphasize the importance of voting.
- All 30 NBA teams were off on Election Day, with players and teams having worn 'VOTE' shirts during pregame warmups on Monday night to encourage voter participation.
- In contrast, other major sports leagues such as the NHL and college football and basketball continued their games on Election Day.
- The NHL held 11 games on Tuesday, with eight of them hosted in the United States, while college football saw games in the MAC conference and over 25 college basketball games took place around the country.
- The NBA's decision to sit out Election Day began in 2022 and has continued in 2023, 2024, and now 2026, with the exception of 2025 when it was an off-year with only Virginia and New Jersey holding gubernatorial elections.
- The NBA has a long-standing tradition of hosting games on Christmas Day for more than 75 years, but it has chosen to pause operations on Election Day to encourage civic engagement.
- Players from the Milwaukee Bucks effectively went on strike in 2022 during a time of great social unrest, and other leagues followed suit, highlighting the NBA's commitment to social justice and voter participation.
- The NBA's 'VOTE.' campaign stretched across two days, with every team in action on Monday night, spreading awareness for the midterm election around the United States.
- While the NBA took a break, NBC provided wall-to-wall Election Day coverage in primetime, underscoring the importance of the midterm elections.
- The league's decision to sit out Election Day reflects a broader trend of sports leagues engaging in social and political issues, with the NBA taking a particularly active role.
- The NBA's approach to Election Day highlights the league's ongoing efforts to promote civic engagement and social justice, setting it apart from other sports leagues that continued their regular schedules.
What's still developing
- And once again, two of the four major sports leagues are taking vastly different approaches in handling the day.
- "The Patriots just always seem to do things the right way."
- The NBA sitting out Election Day began in 2022 when Joe Biden occupied the White House.
- "I mean, it's 39 assists, which is not bad."
- Redick called the second-half response "awesome."
- "We really challenged the guys at halftime," Redick said.
- "When he plays good it gives us a way better chance to win. Obviously he's not going to play every game great, but what he's been doing, it's helping us win a lot."
- "They obviously put two on me, so we just share the ball," Dončić said.