Whether you’re a fan of the Bulls, Lakers, Warriors, or any team, you’ll know about NBA League Pass.
It’s the NBA’s flagship streaming service that’s been around since the mid-90s when the likes of MJ and Charles Barkley were tearing up the league, and Seinfeld was the most-watched television show in the US.
Flash forward to today, and League Pass is just as popular as ever, with millions of subscribers accessing it through the official NBA website, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, and other platforms. But fans are questioning whether it is worth the money. The lowest price package starts at $14.99 per month, and NBA viewership has taken a serious dip over the past couple of seasons.
Is NBA League Pass Worth It? Yes.
- Watch every game (excluding blackout restrictions for locally televised games)
- Enjoy on-demand replays
- Re-visit every game dating back to the 2012-13 NBA season
- Dive into archived classics from the ‘80s, ‘90’s, and 2000s
- Watch on any device and download games for offline viewing
NBA League Pass is still absolutely essential if you want to watch all of the regular-season and playoff games. Aside from the few games that get blacked out when locally televised in your area, you get exclusive access to almost every other game — and you can watch them on your Smart TV, phone, or tablet.
Without a subscription, you’re left with a pretty limited viewing experience. Sure, you can still watch occasional games on ESPN, TNT and ABC (and next season, NBC), but it’s not the same. After all, this is the digital age, so most don’t rely on television broadcasts or catch games at their local sports bars anymore. Instead, it’s all about on-demand action anytime, anywhere. This is exactly what League Pass offers.
Of course, League Pass has a drawback: It costs money after the initial seven-day free trial expires. In an age when people are canceling their streaming service subscriptions due to rising costs, splashing cash every month just to watch the NBA isn’t ideal for the average person.
However, when you add up all the numbers, the League Pass technically provides access to all the season’s out-of-market games for less than the price of two game tickets. This is pretty impressive, considering these games are live, on-demand, and have exclusive features like multiple camera angles.
Cheapest Way to Get NBA League Pass
If you’re looking for the cheapest possible way to get NBA League Pass, you typically have three options:
- Subscribe Halfway Through the Season: Around mid-January time, the NBA will cut the subscription cost of its League Pass. This has already been done for the 2024-25 NBA season, with League Pass currently available at a 50% discount. Doing this means the trade-off is missing out on the first half of the season. However, because NBA League Pass is on-demand, you can go back and watch any of the games you initially missed out on from earlier in the season, so the trade-off isn’t actually that bad.
- Black Friday Deals: Black Friday deals have traditionally been a great way to get NBA League Pass at a discounted price. If you’re lucky, this can also include the Premium version of the pass, but you usually have to act fast. This past Black Friday, the League Pass was 50% off through the official NBA website and app.
- Cyber Monday Deals: Cyber Monday is also a great option. Last year, the promo code ‘NBABFCM2024’ got you 50% off League Pass during Cyber Monday, so you can expect similar offers during future seasons, too.
So, if you’re a fan of the NBA but short on cash, you’ll want to try any of the above-mentioned methods to get your future NBA League Pass at a much cheaper price. This way, you can save money while still getting access to the same service as everybody else, with the only trade-off being you’ll miss out on some of the action from earlier in the season.
Some people are more than happy to do this, especially as it can save them upwards of $50 a season.
Current Packages
What’s great about NBA League Pass is that it comes in different-priced packages.
For example, it has a cheaper NBA Team Pass if you’re looking to only watch games for one specific team and NBA League Pass Premium for die-hard NBA followers who want to pay extra to get better features. It’s all about what’s right for you, so let’s take a closer look at the current NBA League Pass packages and the cheapest available option:
- NBA League Pass (Full Season): The standard season-long NBA League Pass costs $99. You can purchase it directly through the NBA website, Amazon Prime Video, or YouTube TV. The price remains the same across all three of these different options.
- NBA League Pass (Monthly): Not every NBA fan wants to pay $99 upfront. Some fans are much more comfortable subscribing to the monthly version of the League Pass. The cost of this is $14.99, which is slightly more expensive than the full season pass when you factor in how much the monthly payments add up once the season wraps up.
- NBA League Pass Premium: If you’re a die-hard NBA follower and want access to add-on features like multiview, concurrent streams, and 24/7 NBA TV, then you might want to pay a little extra money for the premium version of the League Pass. It costs $159.99 a season but gives you exclusive features you don’t get with the regular pass, making it an attractive package for the less price-conscious viewers.
- NBA Team Pass: Lastly, there’s the NBA Team Pass for $13.99 a month. With this particular pass, you can only watch games for one team (e.g., Chicago Bulls). Naturally, people tend to choose the local team they support, although you have the freedom to choose any NBA team you like. And because you’re only getting access to one team’s games, the pass is available at a lower price.
Before you choose your pass, make sure you have a good idea of exactly what you’re looking for. For instance, if you’re a frequent bettor and use the sportsbooks on BettingTools, it’s recommended you get the full NBA League Pass so that you can watch all the games you plan to bet on.
On the flip side, if you’re a Lakers fan and have no interest in any of the other teams in the NBA, choosing a Lakers NBA Team Pass would be the best (and cheapest) option available to you.
Why Does NBA League Pass Have Blackouts?
NBA League Pass is extremely popular amongst NBA fans. However, it isn’t without its flaws.
One of the biggest complaints NBA fans have about League Pass is that some games are blacked out. In other words, whenever NBA games are televised locally by providers with exclusive rights, League Pass (legally) can’t show them. For example, Charlotte Hornets games are blacked out for everyone in North Carolina to protect streaming rights.
If you’re considering purchasing NBA League Pass, keep this in mind: There will be at least a handful of games you can’t watch.
In Which Countries Is NBA League Pass Available?
The NBA is one of the biggest sports leagues on the planet, so the global demand for it remains incredibly high.
In response to demand, League Pass has been made available in every country, excluding Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine.
The pass may be available in these regions in the future, but it will depend on streaming rights and various other factors. For fans in these regions who can’t access the pass, it’s becoming increasingly common for them to use VPNs to access NBA League Pass offshore instead of relying on illegal streams.
Is It Worth It?
Make no doubt about it: NBA League Pass is worth it.
As you would expect, it’s not cheap, but nothing is these days. What’s great about League Pass is that you get genuine value for your money. After all, no other subscription service provides you with access to almost all NBA games, classic archived games from years gone by, and more.
Also, as we discussed earlier, you can wait for Black Friday deals to save money.
And if money isn’t a concern, you can treat yourself to NBA Premium League Pass for more exclusive features.
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