Short answer: outside the US and Canada, NBA League Pass carries every single game live with no restrictions at all — the league says so explicitly. Inside the US it's almost the opposite: League Pass blacks out your local team and every nationally televised game, because those belong to other broadcasters. The US national games now sit with three partners after a change of rights — NBC and Peacock, ABC and ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video. So as with several American sports, the international fan gets the simpler and more complete deal.
At a glance
NBA 2026/27 season
| Outside US & Canada | League Pass — every game, no blackouts |
| US national games | NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN, Prime Video |
| US League Pass | Blacks out local and national games |
| The Finals | ABC, exclusively |
| Key mistake | US fans buying League Pass for their own team |
Outside the US: genuinely everything
If you're in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia or Latin America, this is the short version and it's unusually good.
NBA League Pass carries every game live in every country except the United States and Canada. That's the league's own wording, and it means exactly what it says — no local team restrictions, no national-game carve-outs, the full schedule plus the playoffs and Finals.
For a European fan that makes the NBA one of the simplest major sports to follow legitimately. One subscription, everything included, and no working out which broadcaster has which night.
Two practical points that matter more internationally than they do in America:
The time difference is the real obstacle, not availability. Games tip off in the middle of the European night. League Pass carries full replays and condensed versions, so the sane approach for most people is watching the following morning rather than staying up.
Avoid the score before you watch. Worth turning off sports notifications the night before if you intend to watch a replay — the NBA is particularly badly served here because results circulate widely by the time Europe wakes up.
Some countries also have a local broadcaster carrying selected games, which can be cheaper if you only want the occasional marquee matchup rather than the full season.
The US national packages
American coverage changed hands recently, so older guides are out of date. Three partners now share the national schedule.
| Partner | What they carry |
| NBC and Peacock | Around 100 regular season games, holiday fixtures, All-Star Weekend and playoff coverage |
| ABC and ESPN | Around 80 regular season games, the Christmas Day slate, and the NBA Finals exclusively on ABC |
| Prime Video | Around 66 regular season games, the NBA Cup knockout rounds and the Play-In Tournament |
| Regional networks | Your local team's games that aren't nationally televised |
Note that the Finals sit exclusively with ABC, and the conference finals are split between partners in a given year. If the late rounds are what you care about, that's the thing to check rather than the regular season spread.
League Pass blackouts, explained properly
This is where most confusion and most wasted money originates, so it's worth being precise. These are the league's own published rules.
In the United States, League Pass does not show you:
Your local team's games, determined by the zip code on your account. Every nationally televised game. The NBA Cup semi-finals and finals. All-Star Weekend. The playoffs.
Blacked-out games do become available on demand afterwards — local games after about three days, national games from the following morning.
In Canada, the restrictions are lighter but real: nationally broadcast games, selected NBA Cup games, and playoff games after the first round, with on-demand access roughly three hours after the final buzzer.
Everywhere else, there are no blackouts at all.
The reason is the same as in every other sport: those games have been sold to broadcasters who hold exclusive rights in that territory, and League Pass exists to cover what they don't. It isn't a defect in the product — it's the product's actual purpose.
A note on the guides suggesting you disguise your location to defeat these restrictions: doing so breaches the service's terms of use, and accounts can be closed for it. The legitimate answer in the US is to watch those games where they're actually licensed, which for national games is often a channel you already have.
The mistake US fans make
Worth its own heading, because it's the single most expensive misunderstanding in American basketball viewing.
Someone supports a team, sees a product called League Pass advertised as the way to watch NBA basketball, buys it — and discovers their own team's games are precisely the ones blacked out.
League Pass is for watching other teams. It's built for the fan who wants the whole league, or who supports a team in another city. If you follow one local team, the things that actually carry their games are your regional sports network and the national broadcasters.
The right question to ask before buying, in order:
Do you mainly watch one team? If they're local, League Pass is the wrong product. Look at your regional network and the national partners instead.
Do you follow a team from another city? Then League Pass, or the single-team version of it, is exactly right — that's the case it was designed for.
Do you want the whole league? League Pass plus whichever national services you already have covers most of it.
The NBA publishes a zip-code checker on its own purchase page showing exactly what would be blacked out for you. Two minutes there before paying saves the entire misunderstanding.
Free and cheaper routes
In the US, an aerial. ABC and NBC broadcast over the air at no cost, and between them they carry a substantial share of the national schedule including the Finals. For a one-off antenna purchase, the biggest games of the season are free.
Single-team passes. If you follow one out-of-market team, the team-specific version of League Pass costs considerably less than the full product and does the same job for that fan.
Internationally, check local broadcasters. Several countries carry selected NBA games on general sports channels, and in some cases free-to-air, which is worth knowing if you only want the occasional big matchup.
The league's own free content — full-game replays after a delay, highlights and condensed games — covers a lot of ground for a casual follower who doesn't need it live.
Why the cheap offers exist
The NBA attracts its share, and the blackout structure is exactly what they exploit: an American fan who can't watch their own team on the product named after the league is a frustrated customer, and that frustration is the selling point.
The economics are the giveaway. The national rights sold for enormous sums to three separate partners, which is precisely why the schedule is divided the way it is. A service claiming every game from every market for a fraction of one package isn't a cleverer business — it isn't paying for any of it, which is unlawful in most countries.
What follows for whoever paid is consistent across every sport:
They fail during the games you bought them for. Capacity collapses on the nights everyone is watching, and the Finals are the worst case.
They disappear without refunds, and enforcement action is routine.
Payment details sit with an anonymous operator under no obligation to look after them.
The legitimate comparison is genuinely favourable here, especially abroad: one official subscription outside the US and Canada carries every game with no restrictions whatsoever.
Quick answers
How do I watch the NBA outside the US? NBA League Pass carries every game live with no blackouts in every country except the US and Canada. One subscription covers the full season, playoffs and Finals.
Who shows the NBA in the US? NBC and Peacock, ABC and ESPN, and Prime Video share the national schedule, with regional networks carrying local teams. The Finals are exclusively on ABC.
Why is my team blacked out on League Pass? In the US, League Pass excludes your local team's games and all nationally televised games, because those are licensed to other broadcasters. It's designed to cover what they don't show.
Should I buy League Pass if I support my local team? No — their games are exactly what's blacked out. Use your regional sports network and the national broadcasters instead.
Can I watch NBA games free? In the US, ABC and NBC are free over the air and carry a large share of national games including the Finals. Some countries abroad show selected games free to air.
Do blackouts apply in Canada? Yes, but more narrowly — national broadcasts, some NBA Cup games and playoff rounds after the first, with on-demand access a few hours later.
Broadcast arrangements and blackout rules change between seasons and vary by territory. Details here reflect the NBA's own published guidance for the 2026/27 season — check the league's zip-code blackout checker and current listings before subscribing. Checked September 2026.