You can get an NBA League Pass without cable by signing up with one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Sling TV or YouTube TV. Alternatively, you can sign up for an NBA League Pass through the NBA’s official website. In this article, we’ll help you decide which streaming option is best for you. Let’s get started!
Keep reading to get the details about the best ways to get an NBA League Pass without a cable subscription, or use our Cord-Cutter Express tool instead. Just answer a few quick questions and we’ll match you to the perfect streaming service, taking into account all of your watching preferences.
Get an NBA League Pass with fuboTV
fuboTV is a sports-oriented streaming service that lets you buy an NBA League Pass subscription for an extra monthly fee on top of whichever fuboTV subscription you choose. One of the benefits of getting an NBA League Pass through this streaming service instead of through the NBA website is that you can record any games you can’t watch live with fuboTV’s DVR. The fact that fuboTV carries a number of niche sports channels that other streaming services don’t carry is a nice perk, as well.
fuboTV Pricing and Packages
The cheapest fuboTV plan available is fubo Standard. As mentioned above, NBA League Pass costs an extra fee on top of any fuboTV subscription. That additional cost may be worth it if you’re a sports fanatic, because half of the 90 channels you get with fubo Standard are sports channels.
The next step up after fubo Standard is fubo Family, which gives you more account sharing flexibility and a DVR upgrade that increases your recording limit from 30 to 500 hours. fubo Entertainment is basically the same as fubo Family, only it comes with several different Showtime movie channels. fubo Ultra is fuboTV’s premium base plan. It comes with 23 additional core channels, plus all the feature upgrades and Showtime movie channels.
| Pro 7-day free trial $69.99/ month | 138 channels 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Elite 7-day free trial $79.99/ month | 202 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Latino Monthly $8 off for the first month $33/ month | 45 channels 2 simultaneous streams 250 hours of DVR space | SIGN UP |
| Ultimate 7-day free trial $99.99/ month | 240 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus Showtime Live and On Demand Sports Plus with NFL Redzone 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
To learn more about fuboTV’s pricing and packages, click here.
fuboTV Channels
As is the case no matter how you get NBA League Pass, you can only use it to watch out-of-market regular season NBA games. In other words, you can’t watch any games that are locally broadcast. Games that are nationally broadcast aren’t available via NBA League Pass, either. That limitation could be a hassle for NBA super fans, since fuboTV hasn’t been able to nail down a deal to carry ESPN or ABC– two of the NBA’s TV partners. You’ll have to go to the local sports bar or find some other way to tune in when either of those channels are broadcasting the game you want to see.
On the plus side, fuboTV does carry the other two channels that broadcast NBA games: TNT and NBA TV. You also get a large variety of niche sports channels– many of which other streaming services lack. If you like NBA basketball but you’re into lots of other sports too, it may be worth checking out. But if you want all the channels that carry NBA games, there are better options out there.
fuboTV doesn’t offer ESPN. Instead, you get fuboTV’s home grown sports news channel: fubo Sports Network. Like ESPN, fubo Sports Network’s content consists mostly of sports news programs and sports talk shows. Comedian Julie Stewart-Binks is involved with many of fuboTV’s original sports shows.
To learn more about fuboTV’s channels, click here.
fuboTV Supported Devices
fuboTV has above average device support:
- TV streaming media players: Apple TV (4th gen and up), Amazon Fire TV and TV Stick (1st gen and up), Chromecast and Roku (2, 3 and 4)
- Smart TVs: Android TV (4.4 and up)
- Game consoles: None
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android and iOS
- Desktop browsers: Most Mac and PC browsers
Click here to learn more about fuboTV’s device support.
fuboTV Simultaneous Streams
You can one other person can use your fuboTV simultaneously. If you want better account sharing flexibility, there’s an upgrade that will give you three simultaneous streams. The other way to get three streams is to get one of the other base plans. fubo Family, fubo Entertainment and fubo Ultra all come with three simultaneous streams.
To learn more about fuboTV’s simultaneous streaming policy, check here.
fuboTV DVR
The basic DVR that you get when you subscribe to fuboTV will let you record up to 30 hours of programming. There are no limitations on what you can record, either. You can even record NBA League Pass games, if you like. If you need more than 30 hours, you have two options: either upgrade to one of the other base plans or buy a feature expansion. Whichever path you choose, you’ll go from 30 to 500 hours of recording time.
To learn more about fuboTV’s DVR, click here.
fuboTV On-Demand Library
fuboTV’s on-demand library isn’t huge, but it has a decent amount of content.
Click here to learn more about fuboTV’s on-demand library.
Get an NBA League Pass with Sling TV
If you like the idea of bundling NBA League Pass with a streaming service that’ll give you access to all the cable channels that broadcast NBA games, Sling TV is one of the best options available. Like fuboTV, Sling TV charges extra for NBA League Pass. The fact that it carries not only TBS and NBA TV, but also ABC and ESPN gives it a bit of an edge.
Sling TV Pricing and Packages
In order to get an NBA League Pass through Sling TV, you need at least one base plan. Two are available: Sling Blue and Sling Orange. Both base plans cost the same price, or you can get both together for a reduced monthly fee.
If you want to catch games that air on NBA TV, you’ll need to get a channel expansion pack called Sports Extra. The price of Sports Extra varies depending on which base plan you get.
* You get 1 stream for Sling Orange channels and up to 3 simultaneous streams for Sling Blue channels.
Sling Orange
Great Value
$40.00/ month
Try Sling
Sling Blue
Great Value$40.00/ month
Try Sling
Sling Orange + Blue
Best Value
$55.00/ month
Try Sling
To learn more about Sling TV pricing, check here.
Sling TV Channels
Sling Blue and Sling Orange both come with around 30 channels, and there are a few channels that are included with both plans. For example, both Sling Blue and Sling Orange come with TNT. However, NBA fans will most likely want to go with Sling Orange since that’s the base plan that comes with all the ESPN channels. Whichever base plan you choose, you’ll need to get the Sports Extra channel add-on pack to get NBA TV.
Another point worth mentioning here is that Sling TV doesn’t have very good local TV station coverage. That means that unless you live near a major metropolitan area, you may have to use your TV antenna to catch some NBA games that air on ABC.
To learn more about Sling TV channels, check here.
Sling TV Supported Devices
Sling TV has great device support:
- TV streaming media players: Apple TV (4th gen and up), Amazon Fire TV (all versions), Chromecast, Roku (LT and up), AirTV.
- Smart TVs: LG TV (Web OS 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0, as well as select 2016-2018 models), Samsung TV (2016 through 2018 models), Android TV (4.4 and up), Roku TV, Mi TV.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android (4.4 and up), iOS (11 and up), Amazon Fire (tablets).
- Game consoles: Xbox One.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome is recommended for use with Mac and Windows.
Check here for more info on Sling TV’s supported devices.
Sling TV Simultaneous Streams
With Sling Blue, you get three simultaneous streams. However, Sling Orange channels can only be streamed to one device at a time. That restrictive policy doesn’t change, even if you get both Sling Orange and Sling Blue.
To learn more about Sling TV’s simultaneous streams, click here.
Sling TV DVR
Up until recently, one of Sling TV’s biggest disadvantages was that you couldn’t record ESPN or any other channel that’s a part of Sling Orange. Now that this restriction has been lifted, Sling TV is on par with other streaming services when it comes to DVR features. All subscribers get 10 free hours of recording time now, as well. Previously, you had to pay an additional monthly fee to unlock the DVR.
To learn more about Sling TV’s DVR, check here.
Sling TV On-Demand Library
Sling TV does have an on-demand content library, but it’s somewhat limited compared to some streaming services.
Click here to learn more about Sling TV’s on-demand library.
Get an NBA League Pass with YouTube TV
Another streaming service that will let you buy an NBA League Pass is Google’s YouTube TV. It used to be cheaper than most of the other streaming services, but now it’s pretty much the same price as the others. This, combined with the fact that you have to pay extra for an NBA League Pass, makes it a somewhat pricey option. However, YouTube TV carries all four channels that broadcast NBA games. TNT and ESPN are a part of the core lineup, and so are ABC and NBA TV.
YouTube TV Pricing and Packages
YouTube TV recently raised its subscription rates, but it’s still competitive. You’ll get roughly 70 channels, depending on where you live. There are two options for paying for an NBA League Pass through YouTube TV: you can either pay up front, or add a monthly fee to your bill. You can’t get an NBA Team Pass.
To learn more about YouTube TV’s pricing options, click here.
YouTube TV Channels
YouTube TV has excellent support for local TV affiliates. That means that you’ll most likely be able to watch NBA games when they air on ABC. TNT, NBA TV and ESPN are included in the base plan.
To learn more about YouTube TV’s channel list, click here.
YouTube TV Supported Devices
Now that the YouTube TV app is back in the Amazon app store, YouTube TV has excellent TV device support:
- TV streaming media players: Apple TV (4th gen and up), Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Roku (most models).
- Smart TVs: Android TV (select models), Samsung TV (2016+ models only), LG TV (2016+ models only), Vizio (select SmartCast models), Hisense (select models), Sharp (select models).
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android (5.0 and up), iOS (9.1 and up).
- Game consoles: Xbox One (all versions).
- Desktop browsers: Most Mac and PC browsers.
Click here to learn more about YouTube TV supported devices.
YouTube TV Simultaneous Streams
YouTube TV supports three simultaneous streams. There is no option for upgrading to more streams if you need them.
To learn more about YouTube TV’s simultaneous streams, click here.
YouTube TV DVR
YouTube TV’s has an unlimited cloud DVR. You don’t have to pay extra to use it, either.
Click here to learn more about YouTube TV’s DVR options.
YouTube TV On-Demand Library
YouTube TV has an above-average on-demand library compared to other similar services.
Click here to learn more about YouTube TV’s on-demand library.
Get an NBA League Pass through the NBA’s official website
If you don’t want to sign up with a streaming service, you can get the standalone version of the NBA League Pass directly from the NBA website.
NBA League Pass Pricing and Packages
The NBA offers two main subscription options: NBA League Pass and NBA Team Pass. Pricing for each subscription changes, depending on the time of year. There’s also a premium subscription that gives you access to the NBA’s on-demand video archive. The NBA will release NBA League Pass pricing information for the upcoming season this fall.
NBA League Pass Supported Devices
The NBA has made apps for a wide range of streaming platforms, from Apple and Android mobile devices to game consoles and even virtual reality devices.
Here’s the full list of devices that you can use with your NBA League Pass:
- iPhones, iPads, Android Phones, Android tablets, Amazon Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TVs, AppleTVs, Rokus, PS3 and PS4 consoles, Xbox One consoles, Android TVs, Gear VR, Daydream, Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, Windows MR, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Magic Leap, Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay
NBA League Pass Simultaneous Streams
The NBA League Pass app has a five simultaneous stream limit. That means that four other people can use their devices to watch NBA games through your account as you watch. However, the mosaic feature– which lets you watch several games at the same time– counts against that five-stream limit.
NBA League Pass DVR
Unfortunately, there’s no way to record a game through the NBA League Pass app. If you miss a game, you’ll have to wait for the game to appear in the on-demand archive.
NBA League Pass On-demand Library
All NBA League Pass subscribers can watch recordings of every regular season NBA game. If you only want to see the highlights, you can watch a condensed version of whichever game you like, as well.
How to use your NBA League Pass with Amazon Fire TV
You can watch NBA games live on Amazon Fire TV with your NBA League Pass if you have one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Sling TV or YouTube TV. Just download whichever app you want to use from Amazon’s app store to get started. If you don’t want a streaming service and you only want an NBA League Pass, get the NBA app instead.
How to use your NBA League Pass with Roku
You can watch NBA games live on Roku with your NBA League Pass if you have one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Sling TV or YouTube TV. Download any of the apps for free from the Roku Channels store. If you just want an NBA League Pass and don’t need a streaming service, get the NBA app instead.
How to use your NBA League Pass with Apple TV
You can watch NBA games live on Apple TV if you have an NBA League Pass and one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Sling TV or YouTube TV. Download any of their apps on Apple TV’s App Store, sign up, then use your credentials to log in. If you just want the standalone version of NBA League Pass, get the NBA app instead.
Alex Munkachy is a freelance writer, game developer and hobby robotics enthusiast. You can find his blog about robotics news and reviews at robotfanatics.com.
