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2026-27 · Regular season · Emirates NBA Cup
NBA week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Nets’ Swamp Dragons Night, Kevin Garnett All-Star MVP figurine, Neemias Queta bobblehead and HBCU nights
The Nets hold Swamp Dragons Night with a bobblehead on Jan. 29, the same night the Timberwolves hand out a Kevin Garnett All-Star MVP figurine. The week also brings a Neemias Queta bobblehead, HBCU nights in Boston and Charlotte, a Rockets bolo tie and three Black History Month nights on Feb. 1. Every themed night with local and Cairo tip times.
In this article
Oct. 29, 2026 — The NBA week from Tuesday, Jan. 19, to Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, has one giveaway that stands above the rest. On Sunday, Jan. 24, the Lakers hand out a replica of their 2020 championship ring, the title won in the Orlando bubble that no Lakers crowd ever got to celebrate in person, and the visitors that afternoon are the Washington Wizards and Anthony Davis. The same seven days bring an Anthony Edwards figurine in Minneapolis, an Ausar Thompson bobblehead in Detroit, a Josh Giddey bobblehead in Chicago, Star Wars Night in Charlotte, a Carnival party in New Orleans, three heritage nights at Chase Center and two kids’ games on the Sunday afternoon. Below is every themed night with local and Cairo tip times and a Game Center link.
The previous week is in our MLK week guide for Jan. 11-18, and the full season calendar is in the 2026-27 key dates.
Oct. 30, 2026 — Brooklyn brings back the name that almost was. On Friday, Jan. 29, 2027, the Nets hold Swamp Dragons Night against the Clippers at Barclays Center, with a Swamp Dragons bobblehead for fans, 32 years after the franchise came close to taking that name. The same night, the Timberwolves give the first 16,000 fans a Kevin Garnett All-Star MVP figurine, and the Celtics hold HBCU Night. The week from Tuesday, Jan. 26, to Monday, Feb. 1, also brings a Neemias Queta bobblehead in Boston, a Rodeo Night bolo tie in Houston, Hooper’s Birthday in Detroit, HBCU Night in Charlotte with the Lakers in town and three Black History Month nights on Feb. 1. Below is every themed night with local and Cairo tip times and a Game Center link.
The previous week is in our guide to Jan. 19-25, and the full season calendar is in the 2026-27 key dates.
Swamp Dragons Night in Brooklyn, Friday, Jan. 29
In 1994, the then-New Jersey Nets came close to renaming themselves the Swamp Dragons, a nod to the Meadowlands marshes around their arena, before the plan was dropped and the Nets name stayed. The club now calls it one of the most memorable ‘what ifs’ in basketball history. Swamp Dragons Night is part of the Nets’ season-long series celebrating six decades of franchise history, with era-inspired entertainment, in-arena activations and alumni appearances. The team posted the date on its own account in September.
The players wear their regular uniforms on the usual court that night, and the bobblehead and Swamp Dragons merchandise are the main draw. Clippers at Nets tips at 7:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo. The other era nights and bobbleheads are in our Nets eras nights guide.
Garnett{A}s All-Star MVP figurine in Minneapolis
Later that Friday, the Timberwolves host Charlotte for KG Theme Night: All-Star MVP, and the first 16,000 fans at Target Center get a Kevin Garnett figurine. Garnett was named MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game in Atlanta, and the figurine is the second of four in the team’s series on his career, which builds toward his No. 21 jersey retirement. Hornets at Timberwolves tips at 8:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo. The Wolves are home again on Sunday, Jan. 31, for AAPI Night against Phoenix. The rest of the Garnett nights are in our Timberwolves giveaways guide.
Queta and HBCU Night in Boston
The Celtics open their four-game bobblehead series on Wednesday, Jan. 27, against the Clippers, when the first 7,500 fans at TD Garden get a limited-edition Neemias Queta bobblehead. Two nights later, Boston holds HBCU Night against Phoenix. Tatum, White and Pritchard get the later bobbleheads, as listed in our Celtics specialty nights guide.
HBCU Night, Hooper{A}s Birthday and a Sunday of theme nights
Sunday, Jan. 31, is the busiest day of the week. The Hornets hold HBCU Night against the Lakers at Spectrum Center, with a ticket package that includes a custom Hornets HBCU baseball jersey. The Pistons celebrate their mascot’s birthday against Sacramento and hand out a Pistons squishie, presented by Michigan First Credit Union. The Magic hold India Day against Brooklyn, the Raptors run a Sunday Funday for families against Boston, and the Nuggets hold Special Olympics Colorado Night against Portland. Those nights are in our Hornets theme nights guide, Pistons promo schedule and Nuggets theme nights guide.
The Pistons game, Kings at Pistons, tips at 3 p.m. ET, 10 p.m. Sunday in Cairo, the easiest themed game of the week to watch live in Egypt.
Bolo ties, a vintage hat and the rest of the week
On Friday, Jan. 29, the Rockets hold Rodeo Night against Orlando and give a Rockets bolo tie to the first 5,000 fans, two nights after Pride Night against New Orleans. On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Warriors give a vintage hat to the first 10,000 fans against San Antonio in a 2:30 p.m. PT game, 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Cairo. The full Warriors list is in our Warriors promo schedule.
Earlier in the week, the Pistons hold First Responders Night against Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and the Spurs hold Salute Night against Houston, listed in our Spurs promo schedule. The Cavaliers hand out a City Edition Sword magazine against Detroit on Wednesday, Jan. 27, and wear their City Edition uniforms against New Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 30. The Magic hold Brazil Night against Chicago on Thursday, Jan. 28, with live music and food, and the Pacers hold Teacher Appreciation Night against Washington on Jan. 30.
Black History Month opens on Feb. 1
On Monday, Feb. 1, the Hawks hold their third annual Black Excellence Night against the Wizards, and every fan in the building gets a T-shirt. Washington brings Trae Young, who played his first seven-plus NBA seasons in Atlanta, along with Anthony Davis. The Pacers hold Black History Night against Miami, and the Bucks hold a Celebration of Black Excellence against Memphis.
Every themed night, Jan. 26 to Feb. 1
Tip times come from the league schedule. In January and February, Cairo is seven hours ahead of the East Coast, eight ahead of Central time, nine ahead of Mountain time and 10 ahead of the West Coast.
| Date | Game | Tip (local) | Cairo time | Night / giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Jan. 26 | Hawks at Pistons | 7 p.m. ET | Wed 2:00 a.m. | First Responders Night |
| Tue., Jan. 26 | Rockets at Spurs | 7 p.m. CT | Wed 3:00 a.m. | Salute Night |
| Wed., Jan. 27 | Pistons at Cavaliers | 7 p.m. ET | Thu 2:00 a.m. | City Edition Sword magazine |
| Wed., Jan. 27 | Clippers at Celtics | 7:30 p.m. ET | Thu 2:30 a.m. | Neemias Queta bobblehead (first 7,500) |
| Wed., Jan. 27 | Pelicans at Rockets | 7:30 p.m. CT | Thu 3:30 a.m. | Pride Night |
| Thu., Jan. 28 | Bulls at Magic | 7 p.m. ET | Fri 2:00 a.m. | Brazil Night |
| Fri., Jan. 29 | Suns at Celtics | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sat 2:30 a.m. | HBCU Night |
| Fri., Jan. 29 | Clippers at Nets | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sat 2:30 a.m. | Swamp Dragons Night; Swamp Dragons bobblehead |
| Fri., Jan. 29 | Magic at Rockets | 7:30 p.m. CT | Sat 3:30 a.m. | Rodeo Night; bolo tie (first 5,000) |
| Fri., Jan. 29 | Hornets at Timberwolves | 8:30 p.m. CT | Sat 4:30 a.m. | KG All-Star MVP figurine (first 16,000) |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Spurs at Warriors | 2:30 p.m. PT | Sun 12:30 a.m. | Warriors vintage hat (first 10,000) |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Wizards at Pacers | 7 p.m. ET | Sun 2:00 a.m. | Teacher Appreciation Night |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Pelicans at Cavaliers | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sun 2:30 a.m. | City Edition game |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Kings at Pistons | 3 p.m. ET | Sun 10:00 p.m. | Hooper’s Birthday; Pistons squishie |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Nets at Magic | 6 p.m. ET | Mon 1:00 a.m. | India Day |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Celtics at Raptors | 6 p.m. ET | Mon 1:00 a.m. | Sunday Funday |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Suns at Timberwolves | 5 p.m. CT | Mon 1:00 a.m. | AAPI Night |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Lakers at Hornets | 7 p.m. ET | Mon 2:00 a.m. | HBCU Night (jersey ticket package) |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Trail Blazers at Nuggets | 6 p.m. MT | Mon 3:00 a.m. | Special Olympics Colorado Night |
| Mon., Feb. 1 | Wizards at Hawks | 7 p.m. ET | Tue 2:00 a.m. | Black Excellence Night; T-shirt for every fan |
| Mon., Feb. 1 | Heat at Pacers | 7:30 p.m. ET | Tue 2:30 a.m. | Black History Night |
| Mon., Feb. 1 | Grizzlies at Bucks | 7 p.m. CT | Tue 3:00 a.m. | Celebration of Black Excellence |
How the giveaways work
An item with a number beside it, like the Garnett figurine or the Rockets’ bolo tie, is handed out at the doors until the supply runs out, so fans who want one should arrive when the gates open. The Hawks’ Black Excellence Night T-shirt goes to every fan in the building, while the Hornets’ HBCU jersey comes only with the special ticket package. The Nets have not said how many Swamp Dragons bobbleheads they will hand out, and teams can still add or change items during the season, so check the team’s site before the game.
What comes next
The week’s first themed game is Hawks at Pistons on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and Swamp Dragons Night is Clippers at Nets on Friday, Jan. 29, at 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo. We will cover the week of Feb. 2 to 8 next.
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