Disclosure: Hotdog.com is supported by readers. When you click on our links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more
I can watch the 2023 NBA Draft, which will take place in June after the NBA Finals, through various streaming options without needing a cable subscription.
In a hurry? Since the NBA Draft will air on ESPN, you can’t watch it via an antenna. But you can watch the event live with these top live TV streaming services:
All three services carry NBA. Pick based on your budget:
Best Overall
185+ channels including NBA, all major sports networks, and local channels. 7-day free trial – watch tonight, cancel anytime. Best if you want one service that “just works”, without piecing together bundles.
From $79.99/mo after free trial
Lowest Price
Carries NBA from $45.99/mo – roughly half the price of Fubo. Add channel packs if you want more. The lowest-cost route for NBA, if you are happy with a smaller bundle.
Most Channels
90+ channels including NBA – the closest thing to full cable without a contract. 5-day free trial, then from $59.99/mo.
Away from home? If your content is blocked, a VPN helps you keep streaming. Our top pick is ExpressVPN.
As with most professional sports leagues, the NBA’s draft is set up to most help the strongest teams. But it isn’t just a matter of the worst team getting the first choice and so on.
Instead, the worse a team performed last season, the higher their odds are to get a top pick. The bottom 4 teams all have a 14% chance of getting the top pick. The bottom team will definitely get one of the first 5 picks, the next team will get one of the first 6 picks, and onward.
This lottery applies to the bottom 14 teams. They divide up 1000 chances with the bottom team getting 140 and the top team getting just 5:
The 2022 NBA Draft lottery was held on May 17th and resulted in the following order:
Note that these are not entirely based on placement. Oklahoma City got its 12th pick from a trade with the LA Clippers and its 30th pick from the Pheonix Suns. The New Orleans Pelicans got their 8th pick from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Charlotte Hornets got their 15th pick from the Pelicans. Houston Rockets got their 17th pick from the Brooklyn Nets. San Antonio Spurs got their 20th pick from the Toronto Raptors and their 25th pick from the Boston Celtics. And the Memphis Grizzlies got their 22nd pick from the Utah Jazz.
The 2022 NBA Draft will air Thursday, June 23rd at 8:00 pm (EDT) on ESPN. Most of the major live TV streaming services offer ESPN.
The cheapest way to get access to the NBA Draft is with Sling TV. The Sling Orange plan comes with 30+ channels including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3.
But if you want a more full-featured streaming service, you have other options:
Streaming services are the best way to watch live TV. Instead of signing up for cable, a streaming service offers a similar service for less money with more options. There are a lot of streaming services out there, so if you’re new to streaming this section will tell you more about the benefits of streaming. You’ll learn all about how easy watching TV without cable can be.
Highlights:
Now let’s go over the main live TV streaming services.
FuboTV offers ESPN, along with a ton of other sports channels including FS1, FS2, CBSSN, beIN Sports, TUDN, Golf Channel, and NFL Network. The basic package includes 110+ channels for $79.99/month. Along with ESPN, some other channels you might have include local channels, AMC, FX, USA, and many other channels.
Our fuboTV review is filled with more details.
DIRECTV offers ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1 in its base 75+ channel plan for $59.99/month. But it’s ~100 channel Choice plan for $64.99/month is far more popular. That is because it provides access to pretty much all of the nation’s RSNs, which are what you need to watch all the regular season games of your local NBA team.
Our DIRECTV review has more information.
Hulu + Live TV offers a great option if you’re ready to replace cable. The plan starts with its iconic on-demand plan, adds ESPN+ and Disney+ and tops it off with 85+ live TV channels. You get all that for $82.99/month.
Start Hulu + Live TV Free Trial ↗︎
Our Hulu + Live TV review can tell you more.
Sling TV is your best budget streaming option if you want to watch sports without cable. The Sling Orange package includes ESPN and 30+ channels for $45.99/month. If you want more than 30 channels, you can upgrade to the Orange + Blue pack for 50+ channels for $60.99/month. Or you can add channel bundles for as little as $6/mo extra.
Sling TV is what you want if you need an inexpensive package. You can learn more in our Sling TV review. Get Sling TV.
For catching the NBA Draft, Sling TV’s Orange plan stood out as the smartest pick. It’s got all the key channels – ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 – so you won’t miss a thing. The streaming quality holds up great, even during live events, and it’s easy to find your way around the app. I liked that it works on pretty much any device, so whether you’re on your TV, tablet, or phone, you’re covered.Sling’s mix of affordability and the must-have channels makes it the no-brainer for NBA fans who want reliable streaming without overpaying.
This page was revised 7 times between May 2021 and February 2023.
Added buttons for streaming services. Mentioned offers. Cross linking. Pricing updates.
Added links.
Additional links. Various changes.
Added links to streaming services. Added list of steps. Changes to some of the sections. Reworked one section. Updated one section.
Pricing updates. Mentioned offers.
More links. Changes to formatting.
Additional links. Mentioned offers.