League Pass is the NBA's very own streaming service. Similar to that of other American sports that boast their own streaming services like NFL Game Pass, NBA League Pass shows every game live.
In addition to streaming every second of every game of the season live, you also get access to extras like Summer League and pre-season games. League Pass serves as a single destination for the latest news, highlights and recaps from the current NBA season.
As of October 2023, League Pass has 3 packages in total. There's now only Team Pass, League Pass and League Pass Premium available. Both come with annual or monthly options.
While the similar names may seem confusing League Pass is the old premium option fans pre 2021 would be familiar with. The newer package which debuted in the 2021/22 season League Pass Premium is identical but now allows you to stream from 3 devices simultaneously rather than 1.
Team Pass formerly called Team Choice, costs $19.99 per month or $139.99 for the entire season and allows you to watch every game of your selected franchise.
While the naming of the League Pass package is confusing given it was called League Pass Premium until 4 seasons ago, the difference is simple the now Premium subscription lets you watch on 3 devices at once instead of 1. The traditional League Pass annual subscription price costs $154.99 and the monthly price is $21.99.
League Pass Premium will set you back $209.99 for a year or $29.99 a month, but you can at least now split it with friends without needing to share the account one at a time.
Thankfully the cost of League Pass has come down considerably for Australian's. A few years back it was going for close to $400 for the best package and that only gave you 1 device. That cost has near halved now. Plus if you can split League Pass Premium with friends then the cost has come down by over 82%.
"Ultimately we wanted to give fans a better experience. We didn't want people to keep fighting over which game to watch. We also wanted to ensure that there's value for all different consumers including students who can receive discounted rates.
"Australia is the number 1 market for League Pass internationally."
It's important to note that annual billing subscriptions will be automatically renewed at the start of each season. So if you aren't keen on paying another few hundred dollars then set a calendar reminder.
While League Pass might seem expensive considering it only allows you to watch 1 sport it does offer the most comprehensive NBA coverage. Prices also tend to fluctuate throughout the season. So you have the option to get by on ESPN coverage early then score a discount on League Pass and watch the run to the NBA Playoffs.
All League Pass packages except for the premium option still only allow you to run 1 stream on any device at a time. The League Pass Premium subscription will let you watch from 3 devices at once.
NBA League Pass features
Although not a special feature, where League Pass separates itself from the competition is with its content. It's the only way to see every single game of the regular season and playoffs live or on demand.
NBA TV: NBA TV is a 24/7 channel that streams a mixture of basketball shows, live games, WNBA content, historic matches and documentaries. It also has special broadcasts of live games with unique commentary.
Commentary selection: Most basketball fans are likely to have only heard games called by commentators during the ESPN-broadcasted games. League Pass gives you the ability to select from either home or away commentary. It's a surprisingly handy feature as you'll find some teams' commentators are more biased than others.
Alternate streams: In addition to your standard broadcast, League Pass has additional streams available on some games. These vary from special guest commentary dubbed Ballervision as well as Courtvision which is an analytical view that shows players shooting percentages live depending where they are on the court. These streams aren't available. on every game and it isn't advertised when they will feature.
Multi-game viewing: Similar to Kayo's SplitView, League Pass has its own multi-game viewing which allows you to stream up to 4 games at once. However, this feature is currently exclusive to desktop. Another handy feature is the condensed viewing option which reduces games down to around 15 minutes.
Live stats: League Pass also has live stats available to turn on or off during games. You can see the full boxscore of both teams which is helpful if you're watching on your phone and don't have another device on hand.
Multiple languages: League Pass advertises that it has games available in other languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Korean). However, it's actually fairly limited. Not every game is available in other languagues, it's only when there's an additional stream available.
League Pass offers things that can be found elsewhere too like the NBA draft and All-Star Weekend.
Yes, with an NBA League Pass Premium subscription, you can go back and watch full-length replays of all current-season games as well as games from recent seasons, whenever you like. You'll also get access to full replays of some of the most important games from NBA history.
To stream NBA League Pass content at the lowest quality, you need a minimum Internet connection of 800Kbps. Streaming in HD requires a minimum 3Mbps connection.
Since a typical 48-minute NBA game spans around 2 hours due to timeouts, half-time breaks and other stoppages, this works out at roughly 700MB of data usage per game on the lowest video quality. At HD quality, this increases to around 2.7GB per game. Plus keep in mind you never know if you'll get caught out by overtime.
Yes, unlike Kayo Sports and Foxtel which have limited coverage of the first 2 rounds of the playoffs, NBA League Pass has access to every single game from the first round through to the NBA finals live.
No, the Game Choice package was made redundant for the 2022/23 NBA season and hasn't come back.
It's important to note that NBA League Pass subscriptions are set up to automatically renew. If you're on a monthly subscription that's not as hard to remember. But if you're on an annual subscription then be sure to mark it in your calendar a few days before the renewal just in case you've changed your mind.
Aaron McAllister was the global publisher for Streaming at Finder, helping to deliver insightful guides to internet TV, sports and entertainment. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and a major in Marketing from the University of Wollongong. Away from work, you can find him perfecting his jump shot. See full bio
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
findershopping.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.