How to Watch Every NBA Basketball Game on a Streaming Service (2024)

Watching sports on television has never been easy, and the tilt toward streaming hasn't made it easier or less confusing for NBA fans. The regular NBA season started, and with 30 teams each playing 82 games, that's a lot of games to watch. Because broadcasters have patched together a Kafka-esque web of agreements, they're spread across a range of television networks. Lucky for you, though, we've put together a guide to get you in front of the game no matter how you cut the cord to avoid paying for traditional cable or satellite TV.

Nationally televised games are played on four networks: ABC, ESPN (for which ESPN2 acts as a secondary station), TNT (for which TBS acts as a secondary station), and NBA TV. But unlike with NFL games, not all NBA games air on national networks. Many games air only on regional sports channels, such as Bally Sports and AT&T's SportsNet. All of them strike coverage agreements that vary from team to team, region to region, and game to game so widely that it's impossible to cover them all in this guide.

Look up the NBA schedule to find out which games are playing on which channels for the games you want to watch. Furthermore, games televised live on national channels are typically blackouts—that is, unavailable to watch—to viewers local to either team that's playing. While you're here, check out our Best Streaming Devices and Best TVs guides to get the most out of the season.

Updated November 2023: We've adjusted details such as the season's start dates, pricing, and channel availability.

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Courtesy of NBA

Best for Out-of-Market Fans

If you're following a favorite team outside your home television market, the easy pick is NBA League Pass for $100 per season. The basic League Pass package lets you watch any out-of-market games. Games in your local market will be blacked out, so if you're a Brooklyn Nets fan and a game is at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, you're out of luck. You also will miss out on any nationally televised games.

You can save $10 a season by choosing NBA Team Pass if you only want to watch one team's games. League Pass Premium, for $150 a season, cuts out the ads and lets you watch on two devices simultaneously, whereas you're restricted to streaming on one device at a time for the regular League Pass. Subscribing to any plan includes access to NBA TV as well.

Best Live TV Streaming Package

Sling TV comes in two different flavors, Blue and Orange, and each costs $40 per month with different channels. I recommend you buy Orange and skip Blue. Orange has TNT and TBS, like Blue, but also ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 exclusively. Neither includes ABC, but you can watch national ABC NBA games on Orange's ESPN3 or via an antenna. You'll have to spring for the $15-per-month NBA League Pass add-on if you want to watch NBA League Pass and NBA TV games.

If you don't need League Pass out-of-market games, pick up just NBA TV as part of the $11-per-month Sports Extra add-on. This is the best package, as you can watch all nationally televised NBA games for as little as $51 a month. The downside is that the Bally Sports and SportsNet regional networks are missing from the channel lineup, so depending on where you are and the teams playing, you may not be able to watch them live.

Runner-Up

YouTube TV for $73 per month is a wee bit more affordable than its closest competitors, FuboTV and Hulu + Live TV, and it includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, and NBA TV. It costs extra to enable a 4K Add-On though. If your only goal is viewing NBA games, Sling TV (with the League Pass add-on) will get you there cheaper, but YouTube TV is still a good choice if you'd watch its other, non-basketball channels that Sling TV Orange doesn't carry. YouTube TV also lacks Bally Sports and SportsNet, so those in-market games are off the menu for subscribers.

Upgrade Pick

DirecTV Stream for $65 per month doesn't require a traditional DirecTV subscription and doesn't lock you into any sort of contract. The entry tier, called Entertainment, gives you ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, and TBS. Stepping up to the $90-per-month Choice tier adds NBA TV. NBA League Pass can be added to any package for an additional subscription fee. DirecTV Stream's big advantage over the other streamers is that if you step up to the top tiers, you get regional sports networks like Bally Sports and SportsNet, which will enable you to watch live in-market games otherwise unavailable via streaming. The details of this vary widely by market, so you'll need to parse out the particulars for your team and town.

The Benchwarmers

We think the above picks are the best options for most people, but here are some other ways you can catch up on basketball.

FuboTV ($75 per month) is the most overtly sports-focused of the live television streaming networks, but it falls on NBA coverage. The basic tier gets you access to ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV, and ABC. NBA League Pass requires an additional subscription. FuboTV lost access to TNT and TBS in 2020 and hasn't regained it as of yet. If you want to watch games on those two networks, you can subscribe to Max (formerly HBO Max) for $10 per month and add the new Bleacher Report Sports Add-On for another $10 per month. At that point, though, you're paying $95 per month.

How to Watch Every NBA Basketball Game on a Streaming Service (2024)

FAQs

How to Watch Every NBA Basketball Game on a Streaming Service? ›

HULU+Live TV : Starting at $64.99 a month, Hulu + Live TV includes all of the channels you need to watch nationally broadcast regular-season NBA games and an expansive on-demand library, but it lacks RSNs from Sinclair and AT&T which may dissuade certain fans.

Is there a streaming service for all NBA games? ›

HULU+Live TV : Starting at $64.99 a month, Hulu + Live TV includes all of the channels you need to watch nationally broadcast regular-season NBA games and an expansive on-demand library, but it lacks RSNs from Sinclair and AT&T which may dissuade certain fans.

How do I get access to every NBA game? ›

NBA League Pass subscribers get live access to Home, Away, and Mobile Optimized broadcast feeds for all regular season games that aren't subject to a regional or national location restrictions.

What app lets you watch all NBA games live? ›

The official NBA app keeps you up to date with highlight clips, breaking-news alerts, and the latest scores. To watch out-of-market regular season games live, subscribe to the app's NBA League Pass and League Pass Premium tiers.

Can you watch every game on NBA League Pass? ›

Stream every NBA game with NBA League Pass

If you want to catch out-of-market NBA games, NBA League Pass gives you the most access to the most basketball games this season. With the NBA League Pass, you can watch out-of-market games live and on-demand, plus get round-the-clock NBA TV coverage.

What is the cheapest way to watch all the NBA games? ›

With Sling TV Orange, you'll get access to all the NBA games you want to watch, plus network programs airing on NBC, ABC, Fox and more. It's the most cost-effective way to watch every NBA playoff game this season.

Does Hulu have every NBA game? ›

Yes, you sure can! Ready to start streaming NBA games, college basketball games, and more? Hulu + Live TV* subscribers have access to live networks like TNT,* TruTV,* ESPN,* ESPNU,* and more — which means you never have to miss a moment of basketball throughout the season.

How to watch every single NBA game? ›

Download the NBA App to stream on iOS, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One and Xbox Series X (select countries), Roku (select countries), Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, Hisense, Comcast, and Playstation 4 and 5 (select countries). You can also stream online at NBA.com on your desktop.

How much is NBA All Access? ›

NBA League Pass plans and pricing
PlanMonthly priceNBA TV included
NBA TV$6.99/mo.N/A
NBA Team Pass$13.99/mo.
NBA League Pass$14.99/mo.
NBA League Pass Premium$22.99/mo.

Is an NBA pass worth it? ›

Should I get NBA League Pass? If you want access to all out-of-market NBA games for the 2023–2024 season, this is your next subscription. If you're an avid NBA fan and you'll use NBA League Pass for at least half of the games, the regular NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription is probably going to be perfect for you.

Can I stream NBA live free? ›

All live streams are located within the “Watch” tab of the NBA App. Is NBA CrunchTime Free To Watch? Yes! NBA CrunchTime is free for all users in the U.S. An NBA League Pass subscription is not required.

How to stream NBA games without cable? ›

Watch the NBA with Hulu + Live TV

Don't miss a moment of the NBA playoffs. Watch over 95+ live channels plus Hulu's entire streaming library, along with access to Disney+ and ESPN+. No Cable Required. Hulu (With Ads) + Live TV plan $76.99/month after 3-day free trial (if any) unless canceled.

What streaming app has all live sports? ›

We say ESPN+ offers the best value for streaming sports because it has the most league coverage out of any service and costs only $10.99/mo. or $109.99/yr. ESPN+ includes games from every major sports league in the United States, except for the NBA.

How to watch NBA finals for free? ›

Watch the NBA Finals for free with Fubo

You can watch the NBA Finals for free on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to ABC and ESPN, in addition to almost every NFL game next season. To watch the NBA Finals for free without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo.

How to stream ABC NBA games? ›

Watch on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV).

How do I watch full NBA games? ›

Download the NBA App to stream on iOS, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One and Xbox Series X (select countries), Roku (select countries), Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, Hisense, Comcast, and Playstation 4 and 5 (select countries). You can also stream online at NBA.com on your desktop.

Does ESPN Plus have every NBA game? ›

Note: ESPN games are not included with an ESPN Plus subscription. For everything else that isn't showing on broadcast TV, you'll want to know about NBA League Pass. You can purchase a monthly or annual subscription to watch every out-of-market NBA game live, plus the ability to go back and watch condensed replays.

How much does an NBA League Pass cost? ›

NBA League Pass plans and pricing
PackageLeague PassTeam Pass
Monthly$14.99 / £14.99$13.99
Season Long$99.99 / £49.99$89.99
Apr 19, 2024

How can I watch NBA without NBA TV? ›

Stream NBA Games on Hulu | Watch Live Sports or On-Demand.

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