Are you ready to watch 40 games per week? *And the NBA fans go wild*
NBA League Pass Review
NBA League Pass is your ticket to watch every out-of-market regular-season, playoff, and Final game this 2023–2024 season. With only a few exceptions, you will have front-row access to nearly every game—with the simple click of a button.
Depending on the type of fan you are (fantasy player, dedicated to one team, old school/lifer, etc.), we’re going to highlight what you get with NBA League Pass and guide you in your decision of which plan is best for you.
What is NBA League Pass?
There are three different NBA League Pass plans to fit your basketball needs—whether you’re a Fantasy player, a diehard Utah Jazz fan, or someone who likes to spend most of their nights watching basketball from October to June.
Should I get NBA League Pass?
If you want access to all out-of-market NBA games for the 2023–2024 season, this is your next subscription.
If you’re an avid NBA fan and you’ll use NBA League Pass for at least half of the games, the regular NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription is probably going to be perfect for you.
But most likely you’re a hardcore NBA fan if you’re reading this and you expect to catch at least 80% of all of the games. (The other games will be on your local channels.) So, get the PREMIUM plan because you won’t have to watch commercials! You get to watch from the courtside instead as if you’re at the game.
You’ll also want PREMIUM if you and your friend will be splitting the bill and want to stream from your own smartphone, tablet, or smart TV.
If you’d love to revisit classic games like Bird vs. Magic in ‘87, Jordan making a name for himself in ‘91, or some of Shaq and Kobes’ early 2000s games, you’ll get access to all of them with both the regular and premium service of NBA LEAGUE PASS.
What do I get with NBA League Pass in the offseason?
NBA League Pass gives you access to last season’s games, just in case you want to catch up on some rising stars whom you may have missed. It’s a solid way to refresh your memory of the Greek Freak in all his glory, James Harden’s best flops, and Steph Curry climbing the ranks toward attaining the title for the most three-pointers of all time.
What is the NBA League Pass blackout?
Depending on where you live, specific broadcast networks are licensed to play regional teams. That means NBA League Pass is restricted from airing those games in those locations until three hours after the event has ended.
So, with NBA League Pass, you can’t watch your local team live if you live in the same TV market. The same goes for nationally broadcasted games aired on ABC, ESPN, or TNT.
Our solution to this is to subscribe to a cable, satellite, or live TV streaming service that has these channels, as well as an option to add NBA League Pass onto your service.
Not unlike the Boston Celtics strong lineup, you too can get the whole package.
Should I get NBA Team Pass?
If you only have eyes for your San Antonio Spurs or your Golden State Warriors, the TEAM PASS is a good choice.
Whatever your team, whether you grew up in New York, and you moved to Seattle for a job—you’ll likely want Team Pass to watch all of the Brooklyn Nets games.
But if you happen to stay in New York because it’s hard to leave the bagels and the pizza, Team Pass won’t be your friend because many games will be blacked out for your area.
What’s the difference between NBA League Pass and NBA TV?
NBA TV showcases exhibition, regular season, playoff games, and related analysis programs, specials, and documentaries.
NBA TV is included in some TV provider’s channel lineup or as an add-on.
NBA League Pass gives you up to 40 out-of-market games per week, and you can order it as a standalone streaming service or with a live TV streaming service, cable, or satellite TV provider.
You’ll essentially get all of the NBA games with NBA League Pass that might not feature on ABC, ESPN, or TNT.
So, that means you'll experience blackouts on NBA League Pass if you live in Arizona and want to watch all of the Boston Celtics games. This is when a TV provider with the three channels airing NBA games comes in handy.
How much does NBA League Pass cost?
NBA Team Pass is $90 per season, the standard NBA League Pass is $100, and the Premium subscription is $150.
The NBA LEAGUE PASS PREMIUM subscription is worth the extra $30 if you’d rather watch what’s happening in the stadium during commercial breaks. It’s also the plan you want if you’re sharing your subscription with one other person. You and your sibling can both stream NBA LEAGUE PASS on your smartphone without booting each other off.
PS: If you choose to subscribe to a live TV streaming service that has NBA League Pass, like fuboTV or YouTube TV, you’ll be able to stream on three devices at once.
How can I watch all of the NBA games?
Our solution to never missing an NBA game is to subscribe to NBA League Pass with a live TV streaming service or a cable or satellite TV provider. We can help you decide which one is best for you.
Our top picks go in order as they show on the table. We chose YouTube TV as our favorite option for watching NBA games because it has ABC, ESPN, and TNT in its channel lineup for the best price.
So if any games are blacked out from NBA League Pass, you can watch them on one of those three channels. This means you’ll be able to watch every single NBA game with YouTube TV and NBA League Pass!
If you’d like another TV option for watching Joel Embiid and Steph Curry, check out How to Get the NBA on TV.
How can I stream NBA League Pass?
You can stream NBA League Pass games on YouTube TV, fuboTV, and Sling TV.
You can also stream NBA League Pass through the NBA app.
Recap: Is NBA League Pass worth it?
NBA LEAGUE PASS is a gift to NBA fans everywhere. For the price of less than two game tickets, you can get all of the out-of-market NBA games straight to your TV.
We're talking regular season, playoffs, and Final games.
It’s a bummer that there are blackouts, but there’s a solution: a TV service. Then you'll be able to watch every single NBA game of the 2022 season.
If you fall into one of these categories, NBA League Pass is a no-brainer:
- You’re a fan of a team that isn’t in your local market.
- You’re a Fantasy player trying to take home the money pot.
- You’ve been watching basketball since you were a kid.
- Your man cave is decked out in NBA memorabilia.
So what are you waiting for? Hopefully not for LeBron James to retire.