How to watch the 2026 NBA Draft

For the 24th consecutive year, the ESPN Family of Networks will exclusively broadcast the 2026 NBA Draft. The festivities will take place on Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on both ABC and ESPN. Sixty players will live out their dreams of hearing their names called as they begin professional careers, and for hoops fans, this is a can’t-miss, two-night event. We recommend watching the 2026 NBA Draft via one of the wide varieties of Sling TV subscriptions. You can also stream it on ESPN Unlimited.

How to watch the 2026 NBA Draft

When: Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, July 24, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN, ABC
Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV or via ESPN Unlimited.
From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.

Everything you need to know about the 2026 NBA Draft

Sling TV has long been one of our top choices for watching sports, thanks to its everyday low price, ever-growing subscription options, and judicious mix of channels — especially in larger markets. At just $46 per month, you can sign up for either the Sling Orange or Blue base plans, depending on which channel lineup makes the most sense for your viewing needs. In this case, Sling Orange would be your best bet to watch the NBA Draft. Of course, you could always get Sling Orange and Sling Blue together for just $61 monthly and have access to all of the streamer’s base package channels.

However, customers who don’t need a full month of Sling service can sign up to watch via Sling’s new Passes. Sling’s Day Pass will allow you to sign up for its Orange plan for one day for just $5. That means you can pay just $5 to watch the NBA Draft with Sling TV, which is far less than you’ll be asked to pay at other streaming services. That lower price and heightened flexibility are why we recommend Sling TV for watching all of the biggest games and events on ESPN.

If you are looking for a streamer to specifically get you access to the ABC First Round broadcast, keep in mind that ABC is in Sling’s Blue Package, so it is not available for the one, three, or seven-day passes. However, you still can get all of the draft coverage on both ABC and ESPN for $61 per month, far cheaper than Sling’s competitors.

One other thing to consider is that Sling does not offer ABC in every market around the country. The Disney-owned broadcast network is available in eight major markets, so if you want to watch that broadcast, make sure that you are eligible to get the channel where you live.

ABC market	Channel call sign
Chicago	WLS
Fresno	KFSN
Houston	KTRK
Los Angeles	KABC
New York	WABC
Philadelphia	WPVI
Raleigh-Durham	WTVD
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose	KGO

Save with Sling

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Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

Save with Sling

$19.99+ / month

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Can you watch the 2026 NBA Draft for free?

If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.

The YouTube TV trial is a bit more difficult to nail down. The world’s largest live streamer is currently advertising a 21-day free trial, but our investigating indicates that it is not available to all users, and that some consumers only get an offer of two free days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process. But for three free weeks of service, it is probably worth jumping through a few hoops.

So, if you are looking to watch the game and as much of the men’s and women’s tournaments for free as possible, I would recommend giving YouTube a shot and see if you can capitalize on its three-week free trial offer.

	DIRECTV	Fubo	Hulu	Sling TV				YouTube TV
	Free Trial	Free Trial	Free 3-Day Trial	Save with Sling				Free Trial
		$20.99	$9.99	$28.99	$19.99	$29.99	$45.99	$45.99	$64.99
ABC	+ $24	+ $59	+ $61	-	✓	-	✓	✓
ESPN	+ $24	+ $59	+ $61	✓	-	✓	-	✓

What are all of the services that will carry the 2026 NBA Draft?

Fortunately for sports fans, numerous different streaming services will stream the game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed Sling TV and the free trial options above, but there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.

In addition to the live TV streaming options, since the game is being broadcast on a channel that is part of the ESPN family of networks, there is one more choice. ESPN Unlimited can be used to stream all of the NBA Draft coverage appearing on both ABC and ESPN for $30 per month.

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ESPN Unlimited

ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.

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Subscribers can pay the $31.99 monthly fee for ESPN Unlimited, which unlocks all ESPN linear channels — including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN on ABC — plus ESPN+ and ESPN3, totaling around 47,000 live events each year. A subscription may be purchased monthly or annually.

ESPN+ content is available as part of an ESPN Ultimate subscription; those seeking only ESPN+ can subscribe to ESPN Select for $13.99 instead.

ESPN Unlimited offers extensive coverage of the NFL, NBA, MLB, college sports, UFC, soccer, tennis, and more, along with original programming, studio shows, and “30 for 30” documentaries. Starting in 2026, the platform will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home for WWE’s premium live events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.

NFL Network and NFL RedZone are also included through an NFL-ESPN partnership, which adds draft coverage, preseason games, and NFL+ Premium features. The enhanced ESPN app will feature Multiview for watching multiple games simultaneously, real-time stats, betting and fantasy tools, personalized highlight reels, and even e-commerce options for tickets and merchandise.

On September 1, 2026, ESPN Unlimited prices were raised — barely a year after launch — from $13 to $14 per month for ESPN Select and from $30 to $32 for ESPN Unlimited.

Viewers can subscribe directly or bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu. With its robust live sports lineup, premium features, and the convenience of streaming anywhere, ESPN’s new service is a must-have for die-hard sports fans looking to cut the cord without sacrificing coverage.

$31.99+ / month

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Watch a preview of the 2026 NBA Draft

Everything you need to know about the 2026 NBA Draft broadcast

Days 1 and 2 of the NBA Draft will occur at 8 p.m. ET on both ESPN and ABC. Day 1 will take place on Tuesday, June 23, while Day 2 will take place on Wednesday, July 24.

For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN will produce a distinct broadcast of the NBA Draft’s First Round on ABC, starting at 8 p.m., providing in-depth stories and features on select draftees. Kevin Negandhi will host ABC’s presentation alongside analysts Kenny Smith, Jay Williams, and Richard Jefferson, joined by special guests, including draftees and their families.

ESPN will broadcast a two-hour edition of “NBA Today: Draft Special” at 3 p.m. and the NBA Draft Red Carpet presented by Xfinity from 5-6 p.m. Both programs will be hosted by Hannah Storm, joined by analysts Iman Shumpert, Kendrick Perkins, Sean Farnham, and Seth Greenberg, ESPN Senior NBA Writer Brian Windhorst, and ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo.

“Hoop Streams,” ESPN’s digital NBA pregame show, will be on-site for the NBA Draft for the first time, streaming live throughout the entire duration of Round 1 beginning at 8 p.m.

Malika Andrews will return to host ESPN’s coverage of the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft on June 24, beginning at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

How to watch the 2026 NBA Draft from anywhere

If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the NBA Draft as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming service like Sling TV in order to stream the game with a VPN.

NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!

While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.