The 2023–2024 NBA season has been the most adrenaline-pumping ever. We’ve witnessed record-breaking performances, jumped for joy, and sat on the edge of our seats during dramatic moments.
It has been the season for the ages, from the Lakers’ legendary win in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament to the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic winning the MVP Award for the third time in four seasons.
Want to see which teams will make it to the 2024 NBA Finals? Don’t want to purchase an NBA League Pass or another subscription? Here’s how to watch NBA basketball online for free.
In this article
Part 1. Is Watching NBA Live Streams for Free Legal?
Absolutely! You’re not breaking any laws when watching free NBA live streams. After all, many include regionally and nationally televised games. Others are available when testing an online streaming service, albeit only for several days. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about legal trouble.
However, many questionable websites stream NBA games illegally. Adds popping up all over the screen give them away, just like every click opening new tabs with scams. We strongly recommend avoiding them and sticking to legal channels. Otherwise, you could expose yourself to potential malware and legal issues. It isn’t worth the trouble.
Here are your legal options for free NBA basketball online streaming.
Part 2. All Options for Watching NBA Basketball Online for Free
Some services below require a subscription but offer free trials. Others are available at no cost.
Reddit NBA Streams
It feels like a lifetime ago when NBA fans could quickly find links to any NBA live stream for free online entertainment in a dedicated r/NBAStreams subreddit. Reddit banned it at the end of the 2018–2019 NBA season to stop copyright infringement. Similar subreddits soon suffered the same fate.
However, avid NBA fans have kept the community alive across other subreddits like r/Vue, r/LiveToWin, and r/EA_FIFA (not a typo). The only difference is they now share legal links to live NBA games. They include free online streaming services that require creating an account but don’t ask you to pay to watch the live NBA action.
Live Streams From Local TV Stations
Local TV stations may not provide online streaming services, but you can catch up on live streams in specific areas. Nationally televised games are available for free on ABC and local sports networks with regional broadcasting rights.
There are also cable networks, although they aren’t free of charge. Still, if you pay for cable TV, you can watch nationally televised NBA games on NBA TV, ESPN, and TNT. That also means you can watch NBA basketball online, as cable TV providers offer access to digital streaming platforms in their package deals.
Unfortunately, these cable TV providers have broadcasting rights only for some NBA Playoffs games. They also don’t broadcast the NBA Finals.
Luckily, ABC airs both, although it also broadcasts only some playoff games. However, it boasts exclusive rights to the NBA Finals, making it your go-to channel for tuning in near the end of the season.
Social Media Streams
The NBA sometimes streams games on its social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram. The same goes for its broadcast partners.
Unfortunately, those live streams typically don’t include entire games, only limited action. That’s where the official NBA YouTube channel comes into play. It’s your best option regarding social media. Besides recaps, highlights, and other crucial moments, the NBA often shares live streams, enabling fans to watch free NBA basketball games online.
However, nationally televised games aren’t available live on YouTube. The NBA enforces blackouts to protect its broadcasters and partners. It does the same for local NBA games to encourage fans to purchase tickets to live events. But you can still watch them all on YouTube afterward without paying a dime.
Free Streaming Trials
Several online streaming services let you watch NBA games live or on demand. They may require a subscription, but you can leverage a free trial to enjoy the action for several days.
Sling TV and Max (formerly HBO Max) don’t have free trials, and Amazon Prime Video requires an NBA League Pass subscription, so they aren’t on the table if you’re dead set on watching NBA games without paying.
In that case, check out the only NBA basketball online streaming services with free trials:
- Hulu + Live TV – a three-day free trial ($76.99/month afterward)
- DirecTV Stream – a five-day free trial (packages starting at $79.99/month)
- Fubo – a seven-day free trial (pricing starts at $79.99/month)
- YouTube TV – a seven-day free trial for new Base Plan users ($72.99/month afterward)
As you can see, the pricing is nearly identical for all services, but you don’t need to worry about it if you cancel your subscription before the free trial expires.
Also, each service offers ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV, and TNT, among many other channels. However, Fubo hasn’t had TNT since 2020.
A VPN for Free Access
NBA blackouts and other regional restrictions are no fun. They prevent you from watching games in specific areas due to broadcasters’ contractual agreements and limited rights. The NBA imposes blackouts in the US and Canada, but viewers worldwide can experience similar geo-blocking.
That’s where VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) come into the picture. A VPN expands your network over a public one, creating a secure tunnel and keeping you anonymous.
It lets you pick a location and connects you to a nearby server, masking your IP address and making it seem you’re in the selected area. That way, you can bypass geo-restrictions and watch NBA online for free, no matter where you are.
Is that legal? Of course. After all, NBA blackouts happen only for some games in the US and Canada. Viewers from other countries can enjoy them without restrictions, so unlocking free access with a VPN doesn’t cause problems.
Part 3. Tips for Watching NBA Basketball Online
As you can see, you may encounter many obstacles when trying to watch NBA basketball online. Here are some helpful tips to overcome them:
- Stay on top of upcoming games – Monitor the NBA schedule to know when your favorite teams play and where to watch them.
- Enable social media notifications – Once you subscribe to the NBA’s official YouTube channel, activate alerts so you don’t miss live streams and other videos. Then, do the same for its Facebook profile to catch all live games on time.
- Plan your free trials wisely – You can enjoy NBA live streams for 22 days with YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and DirecTV. Therefore, don’t simultaneously sign up for all services, and remember that Fubo doesn’t have TNT.
- Find a reliable VPN service – Most free VPNs aren’t as secure as you think, so their premium counterparts may be your best bet. However, the Opera browser has an excellent built-in VPN with 3,000+ servers across 30 countries.
- Download or record your favorite games – Who doesn’t like rewatching the best NBA moments? However, an unstable internet connection, interrupted transfer, and compression issues can cause corruption. If you have corrupted videos, fix them for free with Wondershare Repairit’s Online Video Repair tool, which supports all formats and devices.
We understand you want to watch NBA basketball online for free, but why not consider an NBA League Pass subscription? You’ll access all live games and non-stop news coverage via NBA TV and the NBA App. It’s a dream come true for any NBA fan.
Subscribing for the entire season would set you back $99.99, but this season is nearly over. You can tune in for only $14.99/month. For instance, you can save that monthly subscription for the NBA Finals. In the meantime, you can leverage other streaming services’ free trials.
Conclusion
Catching NBA games live can be challenging when looking to avoid subscriptions. Still, you can find them on national and local TV channels, with ABC as your go-to choice to watch them for free.
You can also find legal live stream links on Reddit, follow the NBA and its partners on social media, leverage streaming services’ free trials, and use a trusted VPN.
Remember to cancel every free trial before expiration. Otherwise, the streaming service will automatically charge you for the selected plan.