Chicago Bulls Preseason Game Flexed to National Television

The basketball world is clamoring for its first look at Caleb Wilson, and fans will get that in the preseason.

Chicago's No. 4 overall pick has already brought so much excitement to the city that drafted him nearly three months ago, both during his glimpses of stardom at the Las Vegas Summer League and from the way that he's carried himself off the court. The Bulls have just three nationally televised regular-season games and two matchups on NBA TV, but if Wilson is as good as the organization believes he is, then it's easy to see a future where Bulls games are flexed into the primetime spotlight.

One of the Bulls' five preseason games next month has already earned that distinction. Per an NBA press release, the Bulls' road matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Oct. 11, has been picked up by ESPN and will be broadcast nationally across the network.

The game, one of five preseason games that ESPN chose to televise on either its main network or ESPN2, is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. CT. It will be preceded by the Orlando Magic at the Cleveland Cavaliers, which will be shown on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Chicago begins its preseason slate on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a home game against the Phoenix Suns. Wilson will then face off against the No. 3 overall pick, Cameron Boozer, and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Oct. 9, before heading to the nationally televised contest in Denver.

The Nuggets were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season with a 54-28 record, but were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first round in six games. Ayo Dosunmu, whom the Bulls traded to Minnesota for Leonard Miller, Rob Dillingham and picks at the deadline, scored 43 points off the bench in a defining Game 4 win.

To close out the preseason, the Bulls face the Bucks in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Oct. 14, then host the Wolves on Friday, Oct. 16.

Chicago is set to begin the 2026-27 regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21, on the road against the Toronto Raptors. The contest will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The upcoming season will mark the beginning of a new era in the Windy City. Chicago hired a new lead executive in Bryson Graham and a new head coach in Tiago Splitter, while young players like Wilson and Matas Buzelis will look to turn the struggling franchise around.