NBA survivor
NBA survivor pool: rules, windows, and setup
An NBA survivor pool works like the football version, one pick a round, each team once, last one standing, except the league plays almost every night, so a round is a few game days, or even a single night. On Runtiva it is free, lives inside your group next to the chat, and runs in windows of two to seven weeks rather than across the whole season. This page covers what is different about basketball, the four windows, and the settings that fit each. New to survivor pools? Start at the survivor pools hub.
How is an NBA survivor pool different from football?
Three things change when the sport plays nightly. First, a round is counted in game days, not weeks: 3 game days by default, and you can make it 1 (a pick every night) or 5. Second, not every team plays every round: on a quiet Tuesday you might choose from a handful of games, so the teams you have left matter more than in football. Third, the season is too long for one pool: 30 teams cannot cover 150-plus game days if each is used once, which is why NBA pools run in windows.
What does not change: you pick a team to win outright, with no spread and no points. A wrong pick ends your run unless the pool gives strikes. Each pick locks when its own game tips off and stays private until then.
What are the NBA survivor windows?
Four windows cover the 2026-27 regular season up to the All-Star break. The dates are US game days, inclusive, and the counts are game days on the schedule as of this update.
| Window (as named in the app) | Dates | Game days | Settings that fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Opening Fortnight | Oct 23 – Nov 5 | 13 | Switch to 1 game day per round (a pick every night), each team once. 13 picks from 30 teams leaves room to dodge the bad nights. |
| NBA Opening Six Weeks | Oct 26 – Dec 3 | 37 | Keep the default 3 game days per round (about 13 rounds), each team once. For a pick every night, allow reuse after 4 rounds. |
| NBA Holiday Survivor | Dec 18 – Jan 4 | 17 | The default 3 game days per round (about 6 rounds), or 1 per round with Strikes. Christmas Day is in the window. |
| NBA Road to All-Star | Jan 5 – Feb 17 | 44 | 3 or 5 game days per round, each team once. Ends before the All-Star break. |
A window shows up in the wizard while its first round is at least 24 hours away, and entry closes when your pool's starting round locks. Once a window's first night has passed, start with the next one.
Which settings should an NBA pool use?
Match the number of rounds to the number of teams. With each team usable once, an entry can make at most 30 picks, and fewer in practice, because only the teams playing in a round can be picked in it. Two levers fix that:
- Game days per round. One game day per round suits Opening Fortnight. For the longer windows, the default of 3 keeps the pool to a dozen or so rounds and gives most teams a game in every round.
- Team reuse. Keep “never” whenever the rounds fit; it is the whole strategy. Choose “free again after 4 rounds” only if you want a pick every night across a long window.
Check this yourself before you invite anyone: the rules freeze when the first round locks. Strikes (one to three wrong picks allowed) are worth it for one-night rounds, because a single upset on a busy night can wipe out a third of the group. And because rounds are short, reminders go out 12 and 3 hours before the round closes rather than days ahead. The Commissioner Guide covers every setting in the wizard.
How do you set up an NBA survivor pool?
Create a group in the Runtiva app, start a survivor pool inside it, and choose NBA. Pick the window and the round length (game days per round), then the rules, and review. Share the group's link, 8-character code, or QR in the chat you already have. Send the Player Guide to anyone who has not played survivor before, and the NBA survivor strategy guide to anyone who wants to outlast the group.
NBA survivor pool FAQ
Why are NBA survivor pools windows instead of the full season?
Because the NBA plays almost every night for six months and has only 30 teams. A pool where each team can be used once cannot last 150-plus game days, so Runtiva offers four windows of two to seven weeks. Each one is long enough to build a story and short enough that a new pool can start when the last one ends.
Is a round one night or several?
Your choice. When you create an NBA pool you choose how many game days make one round: 1, 3 (the default), or 5. Each member makes one pick per round, and that pick locks when its own game tips off, so a team playing on the first night of a round locks that night.
Which window should we start with?
Whichever starts next. Opening Fortnight is the easiest yes in a group chat: two weeks, done before anyone loses interest. The Holiday window is built for families and friends who are home and watching over the break.
Can we run more than one window?
Yes. Each window is its own pool, and a group can run them back to back. Opening Six Weeks overlaps the end of Opening Fortnight, so a group can even run both: a short sprint and a longer grind.
Do picks show up for everyone right away?
No. A pick stays private until its game tips off. After that the standings show who picked what, which is half the fun on a night with one upset.
What happens to pools during the NBA Cup and the All-Star break?
The windows are set around them. Early December, when the NBA Cup knockout games are still undrawn, falls between Opening Six Weeks and the Holiday window, and Road to All-Star ends before the All-Star break.
Does it cost anything?
No. Runtiva survivor pools have no entry fee, no prize, and no purchase, in the NBA like every other sport. The bragging rights are the prize.
A survivor pool is one way your group can follow the NBA together. The same group can play salary-cap fantasy basketball contests, and in the same chat. For the mechanics shared by every sport, see survivor pools.
Start an NBA survivor pool
Free in the Runtiva app. Set it up in about five minutes.