The NBA will look and sound different this season. Watching it will also cost more than ever before.
The league has new broadcast partners (plural) for the first time since 2002. Cable network TNT is out; subscription services Prime and Peacock are in. That expands the NBA’s total reach, but it also brings new restrictions and additional apps to the weekly TV rotation.
Ball-is-lifers should be focused on questions like, “Can the Oklahoma City Thunder defend their title?” and “Will Victor Wembanyama become completely unstoppable?” and “Is Stuff the Magic Dragon hiding in the crawl space?” Confusion around the viewing process itself should be cleared up by the end of our guide.
All times listed below are ET. All prices are updated as of October 2025.
You can watch in-market and nationally televised NBA games on Fubo (Stream Free Now). Out-of-market viewers can stream regional games with NBA League Pass.
Pay TV base
It begins, as things do, with eyeballs and an internet connection. Here are the most common options for cable, satellite and streaming:
Fubo
Hulu Live TV
YouTube TV
DirecTV’s “Choice” package
Dish’s “America’s Top 120+” package
Xfinity’s “Sports & News” TV + internet plan
Verizon Fios’ “More Fios” plan
Sling’s “Orange & Blue” plan with its “Sports Extra” add-on, or single-day access passes
Average monthly cost: $85-100.
Covers: ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, NBC and most regional sports networks.
Regional vs. national games
Each NBA team has its own regional sports network, or RSN. A majority of games will land on these respective local channels. They have unique play-by-play voices, like Eric Collins’ jubilant wails for the Charlotte Hornets. They have franchise legends on commentary — Dominique Wilkins for the Atlanta Hawks, Stacey King for the Chicago Bulls. A few even have earworm theme songs.
Most of the TV options listed above carry the respective RSNs, but there have been some protracted struggles with specific carriers. For Los Angeles residents, the Lakers’ Spectrum SportsNet is only available on Charter, DirecTV and AT&T. In New York, carrier disputes over the Knicks’ MSG Network have gone all the way up to the state’s attorney general.
In recent seasons, some teams have started selling subscription passes directly to fans. For example, the Utah Jazz have Jazz+, while the Portland Trail Blazers have BlazerVision. Other RSNs have their own monthly plans for local cord-cutters.
All out-of-market regional games are included on NBA League Pass. The only events blacked out on League Pass are prime-time national spots and in-market RSN broadcasts. League Pass has different viewing options for home and away presentations, plus an in-arena feed that shows the JumboTron misadventures instead of commercials (if you get the premium version).
Average monthly cost for NBA League Pass: $9-14 ($109.99/season on one device, $159.99/season for up to three devices).
Covers: NBA TV and all the out-of-market action.
Now for the national games. Here’s how the TV rotation (swing, swing!) looks:
Sunday* — ABC/ESPN and NBC/Peacock
Monday — Peacock
Tuesday — NBC/Peacock
Wednesday — ESPN
Thursday* — Prime Video
Friday — Prime Video and ESPN*
Saturday* — ABC/ESPN and Prime Video
* starts midseason
ESPN
This is the home of Mike Breen’s “bang!” call, which has punctuated basketball’s biggest moments across the 21st century. ESPN’s other play-by-play options are Ryan Ruocco, Mark Jones and Dave Pasch.
In a convoluted move emblematic of the current broadcast business, “Inside the NBA” with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson has been licensed to the Walt Disney Company. Starting this season, the Chuck-Shaq-Jet-Ernie studio show will still be produced by TNT Sports but air on ESPN and ABC.
Starting lineup of former NBA players now on Team ESPN/ABC:
Kenny Smith (“Inside the NBA”)
Richard Jefferson (in-game analyst)
Tim Legler (in-game analyst)
Charles Barkley (“Inside the NBA”)
Shaquille O’Neal (“Inside the NBA”)
The inimitable Kendrick Perkins would back up Shaq. The full ABC/ESPN crew can be found here.
ESPN key dates
Opening week
Wednesday, Oct. 22: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 22: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23: Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23: Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m.
It starts with a possible Eastern Conference Finals preview, followed by the Wembanyama-Cooper Flagg showdown between the state of Texas’ most recent No. 1 picks. The next night, it’s an NBA Finals rematch, then Nikola Jokić versus Stephen Curry. We’re starting off right.
Five notable games
Wednesday, Nov. 26: Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. — Western Conference Finals rematch
Wednesday, Jan. 28: Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. — “Cleveland, this is for you!“
Friday, March 6: Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. — Kyrie Irving back at TD Garden
Friday, March 6: LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. — Kawhi Leonard back in the Alamo City
Wednesday, March 18: Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m — Curry’s “night night” origin
ABC
The other home of Breen’s “bang,” since ABC and ESPN are intertwined under Disney. ABC games can generally feel a bit bigger and more glamorous, because they draw a bigger audience over the air and because they fall on weekends. This is also where the NBA Finals go down. Of note, the network demoted (… and then extended) Doris Burke, while Legler got called up to the finals team with Breen and Jefferson.
ABC key dates
Christmas (Thursday, Dec. 25)
Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, noon
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder, 2:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors, 5 p.m.
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, 8 p.m.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.
Times are changing, but the Christmas Day five-piece remains the same. Well, mostly the same … last year’s “Jingle Hoops” remake was in stop-motion. The entire slate will also air on ESPN.
Five notable Saturday/Sunday showcases
Saturday, Jan. 24: Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. — Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis are forever linked
Saturday, Feb. 7: Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 3:30 p.m. — another visitor’s jersey for Kevin Durant in OKC
Sunday, Feb. 8: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, 12:30 p.m. — old animosities with some new beef
Sunday, March 1: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks, 1 p.m. — Wemby in “the world’s most famous arena”
Sunday, March 1: Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, 3:30 p.m. — a style clash of Western Conference superstars
What you’ll need to watch these games: ABC is free over the air. ESPN comes with a pay TV package, or a subscription to ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month).
NBC and Peacock
It’s the return of “Roundball Rock.” This might be the best theme music in all of sports broadcasting. It has inspired rap samples and “SNL” skits and … this remix with Leonard’s laugh.
NBC last aired NBA games in a dozen-year stretch between 1990 and 2002. It aligned with the religious experience that was Michael Jordan’s Bulls, and it built legends around Marv Albert and Bob Costas. Mike Tirico leads the new play-by-play crew; he also does “Sunday Night Football” for the network. Other commentators for this NBC reboot include Noah Eagle, Terry Gannon and Michael Grady.
NBC has “Coast 2 Coast Tuesday” doubleheaders on TV, which includes a late nightcap out in the West. It will also have “Sunday Night Basketball,” featuring Lenny Kravitz on the show open. Peacock hosts Monday matchups that stream within its app.
Starting lineup of former NBA players now on Team NBC:
Reggie Miller (in-game analyst)
Michael Jordan (special contributor)
Tracy McGrady (studio)
Carmelo Anthony (studio)
Brad Daugherty (in-game analyst)
Hall of Famer Vince Carter and consummate sixth man Jamal Crawford would come off the bench. Extra depth would come from Derek Fisher, Grant Hill and Brian “The White Mamba” Scalabrine (!). The network’s full broadcast lineup is listed here.
Peacock exclusives
Like ABC, NBC gets picked up for free with a broadcast antenna (rabbit ears never went out of style). But NBCUniversal is also trying to maximize Peacock, its over-the-top subscription service already building out a presence in college football and Premier League soccer. This season’s Peacock games are on Mondays, and most weeks have two or three exclusives stacked up to start the week.
NBC/Peacock key dates
Opening night (Tuesday, Oct. 21)
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m.
Mexico City game (Saturday, Nov. 1)
Dallas Mavericks vs. Detroit Pistons, 10 p.m. (Peacock exclusive)
MLK Day (Monday, Jan. 19)
Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks, 1 p.m. (Peacock exclusive)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers, 2:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks, 5 p.m.
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons, 8 p.m.
Durant will be in OKC as the Thunder raise their first championship banner. So it goes. The Grizzlies won’t host a game on MLK Day for just the third time since their Memphis relocation in 2001. That’s because they’re going to Germany and the U.K., as we’ll see below.
Five notable games
Tuesday, Nov. 25: Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m. — NBA Cup
Tuesday, Nov. 25: LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers, 11 p.m. — NBA Cup
Monday, Jan. 5: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. — budding rivalry (Peacock exclusive)
Sunday, Feb. 22: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers, 6:30 p.m. — 12 Finals matchups, 35 combined rings
Sunday, March 8: Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m. — a tall round of “Texas Hold’em“
What you’ll need to watch these games: NBC is free over the air. Peacock subscriptions that include live sports start at $10.99/month with ads.
Additional monthly cost: $11-17 for the Peacock exclusives.
Prime Video
It was only a matter of time, really. The Amazon live broadcast team already snapped up NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” and a bunch of WNBA games. Their basketball buy-in starts this fall. Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan are two of the best, most recognizable voices in both basketball and football. They’ll do the lead play-by-play assignments, along with Eric Collins (the Hornets guy!) and Michael Grady (he’s splitting between NBC and Prime).
Prime has the knockout rounds of this year’s NBA Cup, plus the play-in tournament and select playoff games. Prime users can also link NBA League Pass or FanDuel Sports Network RSN accounts to use in the app.
Starting lineup of former NBA players now on Team Prime:
Steve Nash (in-game analyst and studio)
Dwyane Wade (in-game analyst and studio)
Brent Barry (in-game analyst)
Blake Griffin (studio)
Dirk Nowitzki (studio)
The bench mob would be led by five-time All-Star John Wall, plus shooting specialist/famous dad Dell Curry and Miami Heat lifer Udonis Haslem. Check out the complete roster of announcers and analysts here.
Prime key dates
Opening week (Friday, Oct. 24)
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m.
Emirates NBA Cup
Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wednesday, Dec. 10: Quarterfinals
Saturday, Dec. 13: Semifinals
Tuesday, Dec. 16: Championship
NBA in Europe
Thursday, Jan. 15: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Orlando Magic, 2 p.m. — Uber Arena in Berlin
Sunday, Jan. 18: Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies, noon — The O2 in London
Leading off is Knicks-Celtics on the opening Friday, after the former ended the latter’s title defense last May. Prime will be the place to be for in-season tournament ball. It feels right that a new broadcast partner will try to take the nascent NBA Cup off the ground.
Five notable games
Friday, Oct. 31: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. — Halloween, NBA Cup group stage
Friday, Oct. 31: Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. — Halloween, NBA Cup group stage
Friday, Jan. 2: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. — Trae Young guest starring as public enemy No. 1
Thursday, March 5: Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets, 7:30 p.m. — Buddy Hield still haunts the Toyota Center
Friday, April 10: Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. — Last year’s MVP race personified
What you’ll need to watch these games: A Prime Video subscription, which starts at $8.99/month with ads.
Additional monthly cost: $0-8 for the Prime exclusives.
That brings us to the end of our odyssey, which will undoubtedly draw a lot of attention in the first year of this new media rights deal. The total cost to watch every NBA game this season comes in at $982 for the year, per The Athletic’s Dan Shanoff. Sheesh. Some fans will choose a combination of streamers and subscriptions to make do; others may actually find it cheaper and easier to go watch the game in person.
NBA active leaders entering 2025-26
Points per game
1. Luka Dončić, 28.6
2. Joel Embiid, 27.7
3. Kevin Durant, 27.2
4. LeBron James, 27.0
5. Trae Young, 25.3
6. Damian Lillard, 25.1
7. Stephen Curry, 24.74
8. Donovan Mitchell, 24.71
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker tied, 24.45
Rebounds per game
1. Andre Drummond, 12.2
2. Rudy Gobert, 11.7
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, 11.1
4. Joel Embiid, 11.0
5. Nikola Jokić, 10.9
6. Anthony Davis, 10.69
7. Domantas Sabonis, 10.65
8. Clint Capela, 10.52
9. Nikola Vučević, 10.46
10. Kevin Love, 10.0
Assists per game
1. Trae Young, 9.8
2. Chris Paul, 9.2
3. Luka Dončić, 8.2
4. Russell Westbrook, 8.0
5. LeBron James, 7.4
6. Nikola Jokić and James Harden tied, 7.23
8. Damian Lillard, 6.7
9. Stephen Curry, 6.4
10. Jrue Holiday, 6.2
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