Can you watch the NBA on ESPN Plus?

Can you watch the NBA on ESPN Plus?

ESPN is once again going to be one of the broadcast homes for the NBA this season, offering nationally televised games throughout the week. But can you watch live NBA games with the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports’ streaming service, ESPN Plus? The short answer, no.

In addition to offering original programming, ESPN Plus also provides its subscribers with access to live sports. Currently, the sports that you can stream on ESPN Plus include the NHL, college football and other college sports, UFC, the Professional Fighting League (PFL), MLS, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Emirates FA Cup, Copa del Ray, the EFL, Scottish Premiership, Top Rank boxing, MLB, tennis, the PGA Tour, cricket and rugby.

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Despite ESPN having broadcast rights for the NBA, the agreement does not extend ESPN Plus (though you can imagine that will be something ESPN pushes for if it renews its agreement with the league when the current deal ends in 2025).

However, ESPN Plus does have some basketball available on its service. In addition to streaming live college basketball games for select conferences, ESPN Plus will stream live games of the NBA G League, which is essentially the NBA’s minor league. The G League season will begin on Nov. 5.

If you want to be able to stream NBA games that are not playing on national television or on your local regional sports network, the best option is likely NBA League Pass. There are three subscription options available with NBA League Pass, with the ability to sign up for a monthly or annual subscription. The first option is a Team Pass, which allows you pick one team and watch all of their games and costs $17.99 per month or $119.99 for the full year. League Pass provides live streams of all NBA games for $28.99 per month or $199.99 for the full year, while League Pass Premium also lets you stream all the games but features no commercials and the ability to watch on two devices at once (it costs $39.99 per month or $249.99 for the year). Blackout restrictions apply to all of these options.