NBA League Pass Review 2022

NBA League Pass is the most convenient way for basketball fans to watch out-of-market NBA games throughout the year. It gets you every live regular season game that’s not already airing on local and national television, plus the ability to stream NBA TV content live and on-demand.

Because the 2021–2022 season is past its halfway point, now’s the best time to add NBA League Pass to your viewing roster. The service currently costs almost half the price it did during the beginning of the season, and you can sign up for a free seven-day trial before committing to a full subscription.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the different plans and features that NBA League Pass has to offer.

Jump to:

• Deals and promotions
• Plans and pricing
• NBA League Pass vs. NBA TV
• Specs and features

What is NBA League Pass?

NBA League Pass is an out-of-market sports package available as an online streaming subscription and as an add-on through cable and satellite TV providers. With on-demand access to around 40 live games per week and full-game replays, the service is the prime destination for NBA coverage.

The service offers two primary subscription plans: NBA League Pass ($14.99 a month) and NBA League Pass Premium ($29.99 a month). If you buy either plan directly on NBA.com, you’ll also get NBA TV at no extra cost. That’s an additional savings of $6.99 a month for a channel that airs basketball coverage 24/7, including exclusive regular season NBA games.

What separates the premium plan from the basic plan is the ability to watch games without commercials. For instance, the premium stream will remain in-arena while timeouts occur instead of jumping to a commercial break. The premium plan also allows you to watch on two devices at the same time.

Is NBA League Pass worth it?

NBA League Pass is only worth it if you want to watch out-of-market games. Navigating broadcast blackouts can be annoying, but NBA League Pass is a great complimentary service to anyone who already has access to their national and local NBA channels. Having out-of-market access gives you around 40 live games each week that you’d otherwise be missing out on.

Beyond that, the service also gives you the ability to listen to every live NBA game regardless of blackouts, and it’s home to on-demand classic games if you’re feeling particularly nostalgic.

Above all, what makes NBA League Pass a dynamic service is the ability to select between home and away team feeds. This feature is especially beneficial if you prefer listening to certain play-by-play announcers.

You can also view live in-game stats and watch up to four games at once in a mosaic view available only in web browsers. Spanish and social influencer broadcasts are also available for select weekly games.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to NBA League Pass too. Nationally blacked out games aren’t available until three hours after the game ends, and locally blacked out games aren’t available until three days after the broadcast. It’s also important to note that League Pass doesn’t include the NBA Playoffs live, since those are nationally televised. WNBA games and the NBA Summer League are also not included.

Flaws aside, if you’re a die-hard fan, then NBA League Pass is exactly the kind of service you can’t pass up.

NBA League Pass deals and promotions

In January 2022, the NBA reduced the monthly and season-long prices for its NBA League Pass and NBA Team Pass plans. The regular NBA League Pass price went from $28.99 a month to $14.99 a month, and all NBA League Pass plans began including NBA TV at no extra cost.

NBA League Pass currently offers a free seven-day trial.

NBA League Pass plans and pricing

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

We recommend the regular League Pass ($14.99 a month) plan to get the most value for your money. You’ll get commercials during timeouts and in between quarters, but you’ll still get the same amount of games as the premium plan. Plus, NBA TV is included at no additional cost.

NBA League Pass vs. NBA TV

NBA TV is an actual TV channel that airs up to 100 live NBA games per season that are blacked out on League Pass. On the other hand, NBA League Pass is a full-fledged audio and video subscription service. Like many other TV services, NBA League Pass offers NBA TV as an add-on to give you a more complete NBA experience. Basically, NBA TV is the Scottie Pippen to NBA League Pass’s Michael Jordan.

NBA TV is easier to understand if you think of it like TNT or any typical TV channel. It’ll provide you with a few matches each game week, though many of the marquee match-ups are saved for the likes of TNT and ESPN. When matches aren’t taking place on NBA TV, the channel usually airs classic matches, studio shows, and other original programming.

NBA League Pass, meanwhile, shouldn’t be thought of as a cable channel. Instead, it’s a subscription service that’s accessible on a variety of different platforms. You can sign up through satellite and cable providers such as DIRECTV and Xfinity, where NBA League Pass’s live games will appear on dedicated channels. But, you can also sign up for League Pass online and stream its live games and on-demand content through web, mobile, and TV-connected devices.

In the big scheme of things, NBA League Pass and NBA TV are not competitors. In fact, if you buy NBA League Pass directly on the NBA’s website, you’ll get NBA TV included at no additional cost. That’s a great deal considering the amount of original content NBA TV produces—not to mention the extra 100 live games you’ll be able to watch.

How does NBA League Pass work?

First, of course, you’ve got to sign up for NBA League Pass, and fortunately, you have lots of options. You can sign up with the service directly online, through live TV streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Sling TV, or through your traditional TV provider like DIRECTV and Xfinity. The prices and plan options may vary slightly depending on what route you go. Unless you prefer a certain TV service or provider’s interface, we recommend purchasing directly through NBA.com for the most straightforward sign-up process.

After signing up, you’ll need to download the NBA app or log on to NBA.com to access your League Pass content.

How to stream NBA League Pass on the NBA app

1. Search “NBA” in your device’s app store.
2. Select and download the NBA app.
3. Open the app and navigate to Settings.
4. Sign in with either your NBA.com account or your TV provider’s credentials.
5. Start streaming.

Within the NBA app, you can select the Games tab to find past, current, and upcoming matches. There’s also a dedicated NBA TV tab where you can watch the add-on channel live or choose to watch its on-demand programming.

NBA app compatible devices

Final take

At first glance, NBA League Pass comes with a hefty season-long price. The cost is especially unflattering given the fact that not all NBA games are available to watch live through the service due to regional blackouts.

But we still think NBA League Pass is worth it—especially after the mid-season price drop—because it gives you the most games possible and a large selection of on-demand league content. Plus, there’s no other (legal) way to watch every out-of-market NBA game.

Methodology

Our TV experts went hard in the paint for two weeks, watching and researching NBA League Pass so we can tell you whether or not it’s worth your money. While its full-season price costs more than Major League Baseball’s out-of-market equivalent (MLB.TV is $24.99/mo.), it has several comparable features such as viewing in-game stats and the option to choose between home and away broadcasts.

For more information on how we work, check out our How We Rank page.

NBA League Pass FAQ