​As summer winds down, we’re heading closer to college football season. In a few months, college basketball season will arrive.Tuesday was a big day for the upcoming basketball season, with October 20 announced as Opening Night for the NBA.One of those two games will feature a former Tar Heel, with Harrison Barnes and the San Antonio Spurs battling the Oklahoma City Thunder.No time is announced yet for this highly-anticipated, Western Conference Finals rematch, but expect tip-off to be anywhere from 8-10:30 p.m. ET.Barnes, who won ACC Rookie of the Year in 2011, is now entering his 15th professional season and third with the Spurs. During his two seasons playing for Roy Williams, Barnes helped UNC to a pair of ACC Regular Season Championships and Elite Eight appearances.Barnes used to be a full-time starter (984 starts in 1,070 regular-season appearances), most recently during his first year with the Spurs in 2024-25, but a young, budding core with players like Devin Vassell is pushing Barnes further down the depth chart. Barnes averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last year, helping San Antonio to an NBA Finals appearance in a largely reserve role.NBA Opening Night on Oct. 20 on NBC:- Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks- OKC Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2026Just a couple weeks after Barnes helps San Antonio kick off the NBA season, North Carolina will start its own 2026-27 campaign. Michael Malone formed a great roster on paper, featuring a mix of experienced transfers like Terrence Brown, returners in Jarin Stevenson and international addition like Alexandros Samodurov, with hope they’ll bring plentiful wins to Chapel Hill.Are you ready for some basketball?Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball standout to highlight 2026 NBA Opening Night