As a basketball fan, I find NBA League Pass to be a great deal since I can watch all out-of-market games throughout the regular season — giving me access to over a thousand live games per season.
In a hurry? You can get NBA League Pass directly but normally, you will want to pair it with a live TV streaming service in order to get all the nationally televised (including playoff) games. Here are our favorites:
- Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
Are you interested in watching every NBA game this season? Or do you solely care about your favorite teams and are located outside of its local area? In either case, NBA League Pass may be just what you are looking for as it provides you with access to a tremendous number and variety of live games.
For those in the United States and Canada, it offers a way to stream all NBA matchups that are not telecast nationally or played by teams local to your area. Meanwhile, fans who are located outside those two countries can, in nearly all cases, watch all games with no blackout restrictions whatsoever.
The annual cost of NBA League Pass for those in the US varies, depending on what point of the season it is, as it is gradually reduced in price as time passes. But it is consistently $14.99/mo for the base plan.
2023-2024 NBA Season Schedule Overview
NBA League Pass is only available for the regular season. The preseason and playoff games are not included.
- NBA Preseason: October 5th – October 20th
- NBA Regular Season: October 24th – April 14th
- NBA Playoffs: April 16th – June 23rd
NBA League Pass Details
The most important thing that those based in the US and Canada should note when considering whether or not to get NBA League Pass is which games are considered out-of-market. You will only be able to see the games that are not blacked out to you.
NBA Game Blackouts
Nationally broadcast games are blacked out to all NBA League Pass subscribers. These include contests shown on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV in the US. And those on Sportsnet and TSN in Canada.
As a result of that restriction, you will not be able to watch any All-Star Weekend-related activities, the NBA Play-In Tournament, or any NBA playoff games through this service. Instead, you need to secure access to whichever channel is showing your game of interest through other means.
Note that since all Toronto Raptors games are available with national broadcasts in Canada, on Sportsnet, and TSN, NBA League Pass is not an option for Raptors fans who live north of the border.
The blackout policy gets much more complicated when considering which team(s) a fan is blacked out for those in the US.
Fortunately, the NBA’s website has a useful zip code tool where you can insert your zip code where you expect to be in the future and see which teams, if any, you are blacked out from.
As for an “if any” example, if you are in Alaska, you are not blacked out from any teams. However, it is a different situation for those in Hawaii as subscribers there are blacked out from the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings although, interestingly, not the Golden State Warriors.
Do note that, in addition to in Hawaii, blackout regions can sometimes extend great distances from a team’s home arena. For example, those in Glendive, MT, are blacked out from watching Utah Jazz games through this service.
However, you do get to receive the local radio broadcasts for all live games through NBA League Pass, so if you are interested in a game that is blacked out to you, you are not completely shut out from following the action live.
International NBA League Pass
NBA basketball fans based outside of the US and Canada can, with few exceptions, watch games with an NBA League Pass subscription. This includes those on national television in the US or Canada or on local television where the subscriber is.
However, basketball fans located in Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria are not allowed to subscribe to NBA League Pass.
For those in the US and Canada, you can watch any games that have been blacked out due to being broadcast nationally on-demand three hours later and any games blacked out locally three days later.
NBA League Pass Plans
Before we dive into the plans, keep in mind that these prices can fluctuate significantly throughout the season. This is even true of the monthly rates at times. Also, note that a seven-day free trial is usually offered.
All prices mentioned below are for those based in the US unless otherwise noted. If you are not located in the US, make sure to check the prices for where you are as they can be significantly different.
The good news is that NBA League Pass prices are about half what they were for previous seasons.
NBA League Pass
This is the plan that most think of when NBA League Pass comes to mind. It features all games not blacked out nationally or locally as well as the channel NBA TV. Its cost is $99.99/yr or $14.99/mo. (This is also the price when purchased through a live TV streaming service.)
Included are local radio broadcasts, great to still keep up to date on blacked-out games or if you simply want to follow a contest without needing to settle down and watch it. It also provides access to replays of every game, including 10-minute condensed versions, and NBA Finals games from the past 20 years.
Access to NBA TV is included as well, but note that this will not help you watch local teams play as their games are blacked out on NBA TV as well. The intent is that you will watch that simulcasted broadcast through the relevant local broadcaster. (For this, we recommend DIRECTV STREAM since they offer these channels for all the teams.)
NBA League Pass Premium
The premium package is the same as the standard package with two significant additional benefits. One is the lack of commercials, which greatly improves the viewing experience for most. Another is that you can watch games simultaneously on three separate devices at one time.
For the 2023-24 season, the cost is $149.99/yr and $22.99/mo.
NBA Team Pass
If you are solely interested in one team, the NBA Team Pass may be for you as it provides access to just your chosen team. Note that home and away broadcasts are still available, so if you are a fan of a team but dislike its local broadcasters, you can instead watch the opponent’s broadcasts every game.
Also, all blackout restrictions still apply, so this will not work for you if you are a Nets fan in Brooklyn. Plus, keep in mind that NBA TV is not included with this and that games on NBA TV are blacked out.
The price for this plan at the start of the 2022-23 season was $13.99/mo or $89.99/yr. For almost all fans, the full League Pass is a better deal.
NBA TV
The NBA League Pass standard package includes NBA TV. But if you simply want to watch NBA TV and the variety of games that it broadcasts that are not blacked out for you locally, this plan is for you. It is $59.99/yr. At that price, it makes more sense to get League Pass.
Note that this plan is not available internationally — not even in Canada.
NBA League Pass Audio
If you would like to enjoy a much more affordable option that has no blackouts whatsoever NBA League Pass Audio, as long as don’t mind not being able to actually see the games. It provides access to all radio broadcasts for every contest. Its cost is $9.99/yr.
This plan is also not available outside of the US.
NBA League Pass With Live TV Streaming
The only way for those based in the US to get complete NBA coverage is to combine NBA League Pass with securing access to ABC, TNT, and ESPN through other means. For cord-cutters, this mostly means a streaming service. A few of these incorporate NBA League Pass into the services.
Plus, keep in mind that some of those that do incorporate it – including Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM – offer free previews of this plan.
Fubo: RSNs for a Low Price
The base Fubo plan offers well over 150 channels for $79.99/month. You can add NBA League Pass for $14.99/mo extra.
You would be able to access all NBA games that are being broadcast on ABC and ESPN. And Fubo offers an exceptional selection of RSNs so you will be set to watch almost all your local team’s games.
Finally, Fubo provides unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to ten devices at the same time.
Our Fubo review has more.
DIRECTV STREAM: Get Every Possible Game
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) includes, for an additional price, access to NBA League Pass Premium.
The main reason to get DIRECTV STREAM is because it is the king of RSNs. DIRECTV STREAM provides local coverage of every NBA team except for the Philadelphia 76ers.
To get access to your local NBA team’s games, you will need to get the DIRECTV STREAM Choice package for $114.99/month. Along with it, you get over 100 other channels including ABC, ESPN, Fox, and TBS.
All DIRECTV STREAM plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and unlimited streaming devices. Get the details in our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Sling TV: Low-Cost Choice for NBA League Pass
Sling TV is the lowest-cost option to combine NBA League Pass with a live TV streaming service. The base Sling plans cost $40.00/month and feature between 30 and 40 channels. NBA League Pass is an add-on for $15/mo.
Sling Blue is oriented around NBC and Fox channels but includes others like NFL Network. Sling Orange is focused on ESPN but notably includes Disney Channel. Both plans provide 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. Blue allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once but Orange is limited to a single stream. You can also combine the plans for $55.00/month. But Sling Orange with NBA League Pass is all you need.
Sling TV is also the best streaming service in terms of customizability. It has a number of add-on collections like the Sports Extra add-on.
See our Sling TV review for more information, or go directly to our guides to watching the NBA Play-In, Playoffs, and Conference Semifinals.
YouTube TV
You can get either an annual or a monthly subscription to NBA League Pass through YouTube TV ($72.99/month). However, do keep in mind that you cannot take this annual pass outside of YouTube TV. If you cancel YouTube TV during that season, you will also lose access to those NBA League Pass games.
Otherwise, note that access to ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV is included with a YouTube TV subscription.
Other Options for NBA League Pass
You can also secure access to NBA League Pass through Amazon Prime and Yahoo Sports. Try it with a free 30-day trial.
Note that if you are still using a cable or satellite TV provider, you can also get an NBA League Pass with providers like DIRECTV Satellite.
Streaming Devices for NBA League Pass
Regardless of whether you get NBA League Pass alone (using the NBA app) or through a live TV streaming service (using its app), you will be able to watch on most devices. The standalone system supports the following devices:
- Amazon Fire Tablet
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android mobile
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- Hisense
- iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- Oculus
- PlayStation 4
- Roku
- Web Browser
- Xbox One, Series X
- Xfinity Flex.
The live TV services support roughly the same devices. None, however, support the PlayStation. DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t provide support for Fire Tablet, Hisense, Oculus, Xbox, or Xfinity devices. But it does support Samsung smart TVs.
Fubo doesn’t support the Oculus or Xfinity devices. But it does support LG, Samsung, and VIZIO smart TVs.
Sling doesn’t support the Hisense. But it does support AirTV, Google Nest, LG, Portal, TiVo Stream, and VIZIO devices.
Wrapping Up
NBA League Pass can be a tremendous option for watching basketball games. However, do keep in mind its limitations, particularly its national and local blackout policies.
Also, take into account which regional sports networks you have access to and how that affects this. DIRECTV STREAM offers all of them except in Philadelphia. Fubo offers almost all of them at a lower cost.
FAQs
Does Hulu offer NBA League Pass?
Neither Hulu (on-demand) or Hulu + Live TV offer NBA League Pass as an add-on. Nor is NBA TV available. Of course, you can get them both directly. It just means that you will have to switch between apps. If you want it integrated, check out DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, or YouTube TV.
How can I watch my local NBA teams’ games?
You cannot watch your local team with NBA League Pass. For games featuring your local team, you must watch the few that are broadcast nationally. And for the rest, you will need access to your local RSNs like those on the Bally Sports, NBC Sports, and AT&T SportsNet sports channels. See our NBA Viewer’s Guide for a complete list.
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My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.
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