NBA 2023-2024: Everything You Need to Know About Streaming Basketball

The new NBA streaming season tips off October 24. If you’d like to watch basketball this season, we’ll break down all your options, including price, features, and games available. We’ve tested each streamer for its pros and cons. Whether you want to follow your favorite team or every player in the league, you have lots of options to watch this year.

What Channels Do You Need to Watch the NBA?

This year, nationally broadcast games will appear on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT. If you only care about those channels, your streaming options are DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

You will also have different local viewing options, depending on which team you follow.

In the case of most teams, we find your simplest choice for the NBA is to get DIRECTV STREAM and the “Choice” package ($108.99 / month). That will include all the national broadcasts and a majority of the regional sports networks you’d need. (One weird exception is that they don’t carry NBC Sports Philadelphia.)

What Is the Best Option to Watch Out-of-Market NBA Games?

If you’d like to see out-of-market games for your favorite team, we recommend NBA League Pass. That provides access to all out-of-market games. You can access customizable broadcasts, data overlays, and exclusive streams based on betting, strategy, and stats. You can choose a package to watch just one team or every team in the league. Get started today with a 7-day free trial.

How to Watch Every Out-of-Market Game for One Team

To follow just one team outside your home market, our experience shows the best option is the “Team Pass” their of the NBA League Pass. That costs $13.99 / month or $89.99 / year.

Team Pass offers archived games for the team of your choice and all classic games on-demand. Fans can also see full-length and 10-min condensed replays for the team of your choice.

How to Watch Every Out-of-Market Game for All Teams

NBA League Pass offers two options here. You can get League Pass or League Pass Premium.

League Pass is $14.99 / month or $99.99 / year. That offers the same features from Team Pass, but for all NBA squads.

League Pass Premium is $22.99 / month or $149.99 / year. The benefit of this package is that you don’t have to watch commercials during the games (you’ll see in-arena content). You can also stream three games at once.

What’s the Cheapest Way to Watch the NBA?

Your best option to save money is Sling TV. If you get the Sling Orange package you’ll be able to watch any ESPN and TNT games for just $40 / month. You’ll also get 50% off your first month to try the service.

ABC is available in 8 major markets as well.

Sling is not your best bet for regional sports networks, however. To keep costs low, Sling doesn’t offer them. Still, you could pair Sling with Bally Sports+ if your local team plays on a Bally network. That would be an inexpensive way to watch a ton of basketball.

Is Bally Sports+ a Good Choice to Watch the NBA?

If your local team is carried by a Bally channel, you can buy a standalone subscription to Bally Sports+ to see any locally televised games. This may be a smart choice if you have another favored provider that doesn’t carry the Bally networks.

The downside, however, is that you still need another provider to watch any nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN, and TNT.

If you’re interested in a Bally-covered team, we still believe DIRECTV STREAM is your best choice, since all the games would be on one streamer.

What’s Different for the Suns, Jazz, Clippers, Spurs, Wizards, and Knicks?

While most NBA teams appear either on a regional sports network or a national broadcast, these six teams have other viewing options. To access these, you must live within the team’s broadcast area.

• New York Knicks: - If you live in the New York area, you have the option of subscribing to MSG+ to watch the Knicks home games. The cost is $29.99 / month.
• Phoenix Suns: Games available free over the air with an antenna or streaming on Suns Live for $14.99 / month.
• Utah Jazz: Games available free over the air with an antenna or streaming on Jazz+ for $15.50 / month.
• Los Angeles Clippers: Games available on ClipperVision for $19.99 / month. ClipperVision comes with a free subscription to Bally Sports+.
• San Antonio Spurs: While most regional games are on Bally Sports Southwest, 11 games will appear on the local CBS affiliate, KENS. Those games can also be viewed on the Spurs app or the KENS app. Four games can be seen on KMYS (CW35).
• Washington Wizards: D.C.-area fans can choose the standalone streamer Monumental Sports Network App for $19.99 / month.

The other teams do not have a direct-to-consumer streaming solution. You’ll need a multi-channel live TV streamer and/or Bally Sports+.

Does ESPN+ Have NBA Games?

While we love ESPN+ as a hub for sports, it does not carry any NBA games this season.

It may be worth subscribing for 3,500+ hours of original content and 2,000+ premium articles on ESPN.com. Basketball fans will enjoy some “30 for 30” episodes like “Jordan Rides the Bus,” “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks,” “Rodman: For Better or Worse,” “This Magic Moment,” “Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies,” “Free Spirits,” and “Bad Boys.”

Does Max have NBA Games?

Yes, Max will carry all the NBA games that air on TNT. This would be an excellent choice if you want to have Fubo as your live TV provider, since Fubo doesn’t carry TNT.

Max’s NBA coverage will appear on the Bleacher Report add-on, which is free for a limited time.

How Can You Watch the In-Season Tournament?

This season features the first-ever in-season tournament, which starts November 3 and ends December 9. You’ll see games on ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT. In those cases, your viewing options are the same as those for the regular season. DIRECTV STREAM is the most straightforward way to see everything.