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How To Watch the NBA Summer League 2023

The court is heating up with basketball’s rising stars as the NBA Summer League airs on NBA TV and ESPN platforms.

The NBA Summer League returns to the court this July, with the Las Vegas Summer League beginning on July 7, 2023.

As an off-season competition like no other, the Summer League showcases basketball’s rising stars—including recent NBA Draft picks. And you can watch every game across NBA TV and ESPN channels.

Keep scrolling for the best ways to catch this year’s Summer League on TV. After all, there’s no better way to scope out your favorite teams ahead of next season.

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What channel is the NBA Summer League on?

You can watch the 2023 NBA Summer League on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and NBA TV. ESPN Deportes also carries occasional Summer League games if you prefer commentary en Español.

Pro tip: NBA League Pass subscribers can stream every Summer League game that airs on NBA TV, but blackouts exist for the ESPN matchups.

2023 NBA Summer League schedules

The NBA hasn’t released the Summer League team schedules for the 2023 off-season, but the Las Vegas tournament will occur July 7–17. Based on last season’s schedules (seen below), the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League should happen in the first week of July.

Game Date Time (ET) Channels
Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat July 2, 2022 5 p.m. NBA TV
Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors July 2, 2022 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings July 3, 2022 5 p.m. NBA TV
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors July 3, 2022 7:30 p.m. NBA TV
Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat July 5, 2022 3 p.m. NBA TV
Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers July 5, 2022 5:30 p.m. NBA TV

All games played in San Francisco.

Game Date Time (ET) Channels
Memphis Grizzlies at Philadelphia 76ers July 5, 2022 7 p.m. ESPN2
Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz July 5, 2022 9 p.m. ESPN2
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder July 6, 2022 7 p.m. ESPN2
Philadelphia 76ers at Utah Jazz July 6, 2022 9 p.m. ESPN2
Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers July 7, 2022 6 p.m. NBA TV
Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz July 7, 2022 8 p.m. NBA TV

All games played in Salt Lake City.

Game Date Time (ET) Channels
Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic July 7, 2022 10 p.m. ESPN
Portland Trail Blazers at Detroit Pistons July 7, 2022 12 a.m. ESPN
Dallas Mavericks at Chicago Bulls July 8, 2022 4 p.m. ESPNU
San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers July 8, 2022 5 p.m. NBA TV
Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers July 8, 2022 6 p.m. ESPN2
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks July 8, 2022 7 p.m. NBA TV
Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks July 8, 2022 8 p.m. ESPN2
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves July 8, 2022 9 p.m. NBA TV
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers July 8, 2022 10 p.m. ESPN2
Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers July 9, 2022 3:30 p.m. NBA TV
Orlando Magic at Sacramento Kings July 9, 2022 4 p.m. ESPN
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat July 9, 2022 5:30 p.m. NBA TV
Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards July 9, 2022 6 p.m. ESPN2
Atlanta Hawks at Utah Jazz July 9, 2022 7:30 p.m. NBA TV
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets July 9, 2022 8 p.m. ESPN2
Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies July 9, 2022 9:30 p.m. NBA TV
New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers July 9, 2022 10 p.m. ESPN2
Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings July 10, 2022 3 p.m. ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets July 10, 2022 3:30 p.m. NBA TV
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks July 10, 2022 5 p.m. ESPN2
Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns July 10, 2022 5:30 p.m. NBA TV
Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers July 10, 2022 7 p.m. ESPNU
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs July 10, 2022 7:30 p.m. NBA TV
Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies July 10, 2022 9 p.m. ESPNU
Charlotte Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers July 10, 2022 9:30 p.m. NBA TV
New Orleans Pelicans at Atlanta Hawks July 11, 2022 6 p.m. NBA TV
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs July 11, 2022 7 p.m. ESPN
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics July 11, 2022 8 p.m. NBA TV
Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder July 11, 2022 9 p.m. ESPN
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz July 11, 2022 10 p.m. NBA TV
New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers July 11, 2022 11 p.m. ESPN2
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors July 12, 2022 5 p.m. NBA TV
Memphis Grizzlies at Brooklyn Nets July 12, 2022 6 p.m. ESPNU
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat July 12, 2022 7 p.m. NBA TV
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors July 12, 2022 8 p.m. ESPN2
Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers July 12, 2022 9 p.m. NBA TV
Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks July 12, 2022 10 p.m. ESPN2
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers July 12, 2022 11 p.m. NBA TV
Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks July 13, 2022 4 p.m. NBA TV
Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets July 13, 2022 5 p.m. ESPNU
Washington Wizards at New Orleans Pelicans July 13, 2022 6 p.m. NBA TV
Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz July 13, 2022 7 p.m. ESPNU
Sacramento Kings at Oklahoma City Thunder July 13, 2022 8 p.m. NBA TV
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers July 13, 2022 9 p.m. ESPNU
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers July 13, 2022 10 p.m. NBA TV
Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs July 14, 2022 3 p.m. ESPN2
Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics July 14, 2022 3:30 p.m. NBA TV
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets July 14, 2022 5 p.m. ESPN2
Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons July 14, 2022 5:30 p.m. NBA TV
Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks July 14, 2022 7 p.m. ESPNU
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic July 14, 2022 7:30 p.m. NBA TV
Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves July 14, 2022 9 p.m. ESPNU
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets July 14, 2022 9:30 p.m. NBA TV
Los Angeles Clippers at Utah Jazz July 15, 2022 5 p.m. ESPN2
Philadelphia 76ers at Denver Nuggets July 15, 2022 6 p.m. NBA TV
Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors July 15, 2022 7 p.m. ESPN
Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns July 15, 2022 8 p.m. NBA TV
Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards July 15, 2022 9 p.m. ESPN2
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors July 15, 2022 10 p.m. NBA TV
Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans July 15, 2022 11 p.m. ESPN2
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers July 16, 2022 3 p.m. NBA TV
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons July 16, 2022 4 p.m. ESPNU
Charlotte Hornets at Minnesota Timberwolves July 16, 2022 5 p.m. NBA TV
Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs July 16, 2022 6 p.m. ESPN
Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers July 16, 2022 7 p.m. NBA TV
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics July 16, 2022 8 p.m. ESPN
Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings July 16, 2022 9 p.m. NBA TV
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks July 16, 2022 10 p.m. ESPN2
Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers July 16, 2022 11 p.m. NBA TV
Championship Game: Portland Trail Blazers at New York Knicks July 17, 2022 3 p.m. ESPN
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors July 17, 2022 4 p.m. NBA TV
Phoenix Suns at Indiana Pacers July 17, 2022 5:30 p.m. ESPN2
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans July 17, 2022 6 p.m. NBA TV
Washington Wizards at Golden State Warriors July 17, 2022 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz July 17, 2022 8 p.m. NBA TV

All games played in Las Vegas.

Best TV plans for watching the NBA Summer League

The best TV plan for watching the NBA Summer League depends on your viewing goals. If you want access to every NBA game this summer for the lowest price, Sling TV is the cheapest way to get ESPN with NBA TV.

At $40 per month, the Sling Orange package comes with ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. You’ll need the Sports Extra add-on for $11 per month to get ESPNU and NBA TV. But you can pay that $51-a-month total at the beginning of July and cancel after the Summer League ends with no strings attached.

Sling TV includes a lackluster 50 hours of DVR storage in its base plans and poor local channel coverage. Therefore, if you want a more robust service for watching the NBA year-round, check out our How To Watch NBA Games page. TL;DR: YouTube TV is an excellent service for watching national NBA and WNBA coverage.

Which TV providers carry the NBA Summer League?

Most TV providers feature NBA Summer League coverage. But as the table below shows, only select services carry every required channel. You may also need a higher-tier plan or add-on package to get ESPNU and NBA TV through some providers.

Provider Price ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU NBA TV Details
Cox $56.00–$139.00/mo. View plans

Read Cox review
DIRECTV $64.99–$154.99/mo. View plans

Read DIRECTV review
DIRECTV STREAM $64.99–$154.99/mo. View plans

Read DIRECTV STREAM review
DISH $79.99–$109.99/mo. View plans

Read DISH review
fuboTV $74.99–$94.99/mo. View plans

Read fuboTV review
Hulu + Live TV $69.99–$82.99/mo. View plans

Read Hulu + Live TV review
Optimum $35.00–$115.00/mo. View plans

Read Optimum review
Philo $25.00/mo. View plans

Read Philo review
Sling TV $40.00–$55.00/mo. View plans

Read Sling TV review
Spectrum $59.99/mo. View plans

Read Spectrum review
Vidgo $59.95–$79.95/mo. View plans

Read Vidgo review
Xfinity $20.00–$80.00/mo. View plans

Read Xfinity review
YouTube TV $72.99/mo. View plans

Read YouTube TV review

Data effective as of post date.

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How to watch the NBA Summer League for free

Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward way to watch the NBA Summer League for free. Every game airs on a subscription-based TV channel like ESPN and NBA TV. Therefore, only free live TV streaming trials can get you Summer League coverage without paying.

Head to our Streaming Services with Free Trials guide for a closer look at which services offer free trials.

Final take

This July, fans can watch every NBA Summer League game on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and NBA TV. Those channels will cover three off-season tournaments in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas. The Sin City competition will feature all 30 NBA teams.

Sling TV offers the cheapest way to get every Summer League channel through its Sling Orange plan ($40 per month) with the Sports Extra add-on ($11 per month). But YouTube TV ($72.99 per month) is worth checking out if you want a better DVR, more WNBA coverage, and a larger channel lineup.

How to watch the NBA Summer League FAQ

Can I watch the NBA Summer League on Hulu?

Yes, you can watch NBA Summer League games with a Hulu + Live TV subscription. While the streaming service comes with every ESPN channel, it doesn’t include access to NBA TV. But you can sign up for a standalone NBA TV subscription for $6.99 per month.

How can I watch the NBA Summer League without cable?

You can watch the NBA Summer League without cable via any live TV streaming service that includes ESPN channels and NBA TV. DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, and YouTube TV are our favorite services for streaming NBA games.

Can I watch the NBA Summer League on NBA League Pass?

Yes, you can watch select NBA Summer League games on NBA League Pass because the streaming service includes NBA TV coverage. However, blackouts exist for all Summer League games that air on ESPN channels. You must wait until Summer League ends to watch any blacked-out games.

Methodology

Our sports experts researched and tested the best ways to watch the NBA Summer League. After identifying this year’s Summer League schedule, we compared the pricing and channel lineups of 13 popular TV providers. We then determined our provider recommendations based on Summer League coverage and ease of use.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.

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