The Best NBA Streaming Services for 2024

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The 2024-2025 NBA season is here! You can watch the matchups and Victor Wembanyama's much-anticipated sophomore season, even if you've ditched your cable subscription—all you need is the right video streaming service. However, you should know what constitutes a streaming service suitable for basketball fans before pulling out the plastic. We're here to help, with more than a decade's worth of streaming video coverage under our belts. With this guide, we help you determine everything needed to stream the upcoming hoops season, from the top channels to the best service for recording games. Read on for the best NBA streaming services and what you need to know to watch pro hoops online.

How to Watch the NBA Without Cable

If you don't want to miss a minute of the on-court action, you need to find a live TV service that covers all the games in your market or subscribe to one of the NBA-owned services that lets you watch your favorite out-of-market team. Unlike NFL games, not all NBA games air on national channels. Instead, most games are broadcast on regional sports networks (RSNs) that are available only to subscribers who reside in the local markets those channels cover.

Most RSNs are owned either by Sinclair (Bally Sports), Comcast (NBC Sports), or whatever is left of AT&T (SportsNet). A few of the SportsNet RSNs and others are affiliates of Bally Sports, while other RSNs are joint ventures between media companies and individual teams. (Don't confuse RSNs with your local broadcast affiliate; NBC Sports Philadelphia is different from that city's local NBC station.) Some games do air on national channels, such as ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV, but you likely won't be able to watch your local team on these channels because of blackout restrictions.

In other words, a game that airs on NBA TV for most people will be shown only on the RSN that covers each team in their respective local markets. That's why it's important to know which RSN owns broadcast rights for your local team. At the time of publishing, Bally Sports RSNs cover 15 NBA teams, NBC Sports RSNs feature six NBA teams, and AT&T's SportsNet RSNs handle local broadcasts for three NBA teams. The rest are managed by other media companies solely or in partnership with other media organizations or individual teams. Note that this all will change as Warner Bros. Discovery sells off the former AT&T SportsNet RSNs. Instead, WBD now offers TNT, TBS, and truTV NBA games through its Max streaming service.

Currently, DirecTV Stream includes Bally Sports, NBC Sports (though it is missing a few of these), and SportsNet RSNs. Fubo now has Bally Sports RSNs but Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV do not. Again, the RSN you need depends on your location, so don't immediately discount a service that lacks a particular set of RSNs. For more information, check out this list of regional NBA broadcasters or search for a specific team on The Streamable.

What Is NBA League Pass?

The NBA offers several subscription options: NBA TV ($59.99 per year), League Pass ($99.99 per year), and League Pass Premium ($149.99 per year). You need to choose one of these plans to watch (or listen to) out-of-market games.

The NBA TV option gives you access to live, out-of-market games that air on NBA TV. With this plan, you can also stream NBA TV studio shows. The Team Pass plan ($89.99 annually) lets you watch live, out-of-market games for one team. The League Pass plan lets you watch hundreds of out-of-market games from around the league, while the League Pass Premium tier gives you the same perks without commercials. Only the League Pass Premium tier lets you simultaneously stream on two devices.

Note that none of the League Pass subscriptions lets you watch any nationally broadcast games live (those that air on ABC, ESPN, TNT, or NBA TV). Replays of those games are available three hours after the broadcast concludes. In-market games subject to local blackouts (those that air on your local RSN) are available to watch three days after the live broadcast ends.

What Is the Best NBA Streaming Service?

What else do NBA fans need to know? First, you should compare the technical specifications of these streaming services before deciding which is best. For example, if you want to record and re-watch games regularly, check out a service's DVR storage limits. If there are a lot of people in your home who all want to watch TV at the same time, you need a service that supports many concurrent streams. Verify that whatever service you pick supports all the media streaming devices you own, too.

One last consideration is the streaming resolution that the services support. Fubo and YouTube TV (via an add-on) both technically support 4K live streams, but neither appears to be set to broadcast any NBA games at this resolution. That could change, however. Both Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV support 1080p/60fps streams on select channels and devices, while DirectTV Stream, Fubo (for non-4K broadcasts), and Sling TV top out at around 720p resolution. Higher-resolution streams produce crisper images, while faster refresh rates help smooth out fast action.

How to Watch the NBA on Cable and Over the Air

Another way to ensure that you can watch all the regular-season NBA games in your area is to sign up for a cable plan with a premium sports package that includes all the local RSNs. A cable plan is typically more expensive than live-streaming alternatives, but it's great for people who want to get the broadest possible variety of cable TV networks for one price. Note that if you have a digital antenna, you can watch some of the games on ABC, assuming they aren't airing on your local RSN.

More into college basketball? Here's how to watch March Madness online. If you want to watch sports other than the NBA, check out our roundup of the best sports streaming services.

Ben Moore contributed to this article.