Where to Watch NBA Basketball in the USA - 2025/26 Season
The NBA is at the center of American sports culture - a league that produces global superstars, viral moments, and some of the most compelling storylines in all of sports. The 2025/26 season brings the usual mix of dynasty hunts, rising stars, and trade deadline drama that keeps basketball fans glued to their screens from October through June. Here's where to catch every game.
Season 2025/26 - Last updated: 2026-03-27
ESPN / ABC TV - Prime Time & Finals
ESPN and ABC anchor the NBA's premier broadcast package in the United States. ABC carries the NBA Finals and marquee playoff matchups on free-to-air television, while ESPN covers a massive slate of regular-season games, conference finals, and signature matchups throughout the season. ESPN's NBA studio coverage - from NBA Countdown to the post-game analysis - sets the standard for basketball broadcasting. Essential viewing for any serious fan.
TNT Sports TV - Thursday Night & Playoffs
TNT has been a cornerstone of NBA broadcasting for decades, and its partnership with the league continues into the 2025/26 season. Thursday nights on TNT are a basketball institution - the network's Inside the NBA postgame show with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson is widely considered the greatest studio show in sports television history. TNT also carries significant playoff game packages through the conference semifinals.
NBA League Pass Streaming - Every Game, All Season
NBA League Pass is the definitive streaming service for basketball obsessives. It gives you access to out-of-market games live, full game replays starting immediately after the final buzzer, condensed game versions (watch an entire game in 45 minutes), and classic game archives going back decades. The multi-game view lets you track several games simultaneously on one screen - perfect for fantasy basketball managers and fans who want to track the league's rising stars across every market.
NBA broadcasting rights in the United States
The NBA's US television landscape is in a landmark transitional period. The league's long-running relationship with Turner Sports (TNT) continues while new streaming-era deals reshape how Americans watch basketball. ESPN and ABC remain the premier broadcast partners, carrying the NBA Finals and the biggest playoff matchups. The emergence of Amazon Prime Video and other streaming platforms as serious sports rights bidders signals that the next round of NBA deals - among the most expensive in sports media - will further accelerate the shift from linear TV to streaming-first delivery.
For American basketball fans, navigating the broadcast landscape means understanding blackout rules. NBA League Pass is invaluable for following out-of-market teams - if you've moved cities but kept your loyalty to your hometown squad, League Pass is essentially mandatory. Local market games are blacked out on League Pass but available through your local regional sports network (RSN) via cable or an RSN-specific streaming add-on. The RSN landscape has been volatile due to financial instability among regional sports networks, so checking your specific market's local affiliate situation each season is recommended.
The 2025/26 NBA season continues a golden era of American basketball talent. Generational stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo - alongside the next wave of superstar talent - make every season a must-watch. The NBA Finals in June remain one of American television's highest-rated sports events, with the series format guaranteeing at least four nights of elite basketball on ABC. For international fans following the league, NBA League Pass with international subscription options removes most blackout restrictions and is often significantly cheaper than the domestic pricing.
