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The NBA is officially back! And just like last season, figuring out how to actually watch the NBA in 2025 and 2026 can be a little complicated. In this video, Phil breaks down how to catch every game on ESPN and ABC, the return of the NBA to NBC, select games on NBA TV and the wide world of of streaming options, from League Pass, Peacock, Prime Video, YouTube TV and Hulu.
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The NBA is officially back and just like last season, figuring out how to actually watch the
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NBA in 2025 and 2026 can be a little complicated. Between games on ESPN and ABC, the return of the
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NBA to NBC, select games on NBA TV, and of course streaming options like League Pass, Peacock
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Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Hulu, it's a lot to keep track of. So in this video, I'll break down
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exactly how to watch the NBA this season. Which networks carry which games
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what's new this year, and some of the matchups you won't want to miss. Quickly, we've got to talk about
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what to watch out for in the NBA this year. LeBron James, now in his 23rd season
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is teaming up with Luka Doncic to try and reclaim Lakers glory
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while reigning champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, look poised for another title run
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French superstar Victor Webinyama has already put together an insane highlight reel
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making Spurs games impossible to ignore. Fans are also going to want to see how the Pacers and Celtics fare without their stars
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while starting five on Netflix shines a spotlight on players' lives off the court
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giving a new window into the personalities behind the stats and fueling hype around these high-stakes matchups
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In short, the 2025-26 season is shaping up to be the NBA's biggest yet
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I think it's easiest to break this video down into which networks have which games
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When it comes to some of the biggest nights in the NBA season NBC and Peacock will be your destination Not only did the return of NBA to NBC kick off with the season opener but they also get Mondays and Tuesdays and then Sundays starting in February
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You can find those Monday games on Peacock, then Tuesday nights will feature double headers on NBC
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and Peacock. Once those Sundays start, NBC and Peacock get feature primetime hoops, including
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three double headers almost all the way up to the playoffs. NBC and Peacock also scored rights to
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NBA All-Star Weekend festivities. That includes the Rising Stars game, the Kia Skills Challenge
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three-point and slam dunk contests, and of course the actual 2025 All-Star Game on February 16th
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Next we've got ESPN. NBA on Wednesday nights on ESPN are back with double headers throughout the
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regular season. Then mid-season, ESPN rights expand to include double headers on Fridays
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ESPN will get one night of the Emirates in-season tournament group play matchups on November 26th
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plus share all of the Christmas Day games with ABC. Speaking of ABC, we get a lot of crossover
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with the Disney-owned networks. The biggest day for ABC is Saturday. NBA Saturday primetime
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that'll start January 24th with a rivals themed triple header you won't want to miss. ABC is also
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the destination for the marquee Sunday afternoon matchups from February 8th through March 14th
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Finally ABC will once again be home for the NBA Finals Let me know if we should upload a video closer to when playoffs start with all the info on how to watch those games Prime Video is another big destination for watching the NBA this season It gets 66 regular
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season games, including 10 during group play of the NBA Cup. The NBA Cup's quarterfinals
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semifinals, and final games are also all exclusively on Prime Video. Those will be
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taking place in December and there are big bragging rights involved so expect some really
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good basketball on cup nights. Fans can also use Prime to sign up for NBA League Pass. League Pass
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is how you're going to get non-nationally televised games especially if you're watching
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out of market. League Pass starts at $14 a month if you only pick one team to follow
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but it goes up to $25 a month for the full experience with League Pass Premium
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including NBA TV, three concurrent streams, and those hilarious in-arena feeds in lieu of commercials
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I know I just threw a lot at you, and believe me, I'm sure most of you haven't memorized
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but in case you don't, we're going to recap. When it comes to streaming NBA this season, you're going to use NBC and Peacock on Sundays
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Mondays, and Tuesdays, plus All-Star Weekend. ABC and ESPN are going to be Sunday, Wednesday, and some Fridays and Saturday nights
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Again, ABC is also the home of the NBA Finals. Prime video for Thursday and Saturday games plus most of the NBA Emirates Cup And NBA League Pass for most out games I should also mention YouTube TV or Hulu Live TV for any of the network nationally televised games
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and your in-market games. YouTube TV offers a great free trial and Hulu Plus Live TV's intro offer is $65
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for your first three months rather than $90. I'll have links to both down below
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But what to do if you're traveling or living abroad? That's when you're going to want to get a VPN to access your local stream from anywhere
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NordVPN is the best choice for streaming sports as rated by our Tom's Guide team
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We've even secured an exclusive NordVPN deal for our viewers that offers 75% off and three months free
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But you do have to hurry. This offer won't last long. You have to use the link in the description below and comment everything I just said to you right now
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No, the second part's a joke, but you'll find the link in the description down below
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So by now, you should be set for this year's NBA season. And if you found this video helpful, be sure to give it a thumbs up and leave a comment letting me know if you'd want to see more streaming guides here on the channel
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In case this is your first time here, we're typically testing out the latest gadgets
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So if you're into that sort of thing, subscribe to Stay in the Loop. My name's Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide, and I'll see you in the next video
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Take care
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