If you thought this NBA offseason has been entertaning, wait until the real thing starts. LeBron James, now entering a staggering 24th season as a pro, has swapped the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers. Giannis Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is now a Miami Heat player. And the New York Knicks – yes, those perennially underachieving Knicks – are the defending champions after claiming their first title since 1973.
It all tips off on Tuesday 20 October with a triple-header. The Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons at 3pm ET. Then LeBron’s 76ers head to Madison Square Garden at 7pm ET to take on the Knicks, who are doubtless still basking in that post-finals glow. Opening night wraps up at 9:30pm ET with a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, as the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs. Giannis makes his Heat debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves the following night.
Sponsored: Privacy That Doesn’t Get in Your Way.
CometVPN keeps your browsing private without slowing you down – fast servers worldwide, apps for every device, and residential IP options for when you need something different from a standard VPN connection.
- OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Obfuscated protocols, switch anytime
- Servers in 70+ countries to choose from
- Native Residential VPN – real home-based IPs in 195+ countries, with a built-in proxy generator
- Dedicated Residential IP – a static IP from your chosen country
- One tap to connect on every device – no configuring required
Try CometVPN free for 3 days – no commitment, just a better way to browse.
How to watch the NBA in the US
The 2026-27 season is the second year of the NBA’s 11-year media rights deal, which splits games between three homes: ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video.
NBC has Tuesday and Sunday nights, including all three opening night games, which also stream on Peacock. Monday night games stream exclusively on Peacock Premium. Prime Video takes Thursday and Friday nights, while ESPN and ABC carry around 100 regular-season games between them, with ABC also home to the NBA Finals. Around 75 games air free on ABC and NBC, so if you’re still using a TV antenna you’re well served.
Beyond the national games, your regional sports network carries most of your local team’s matchups, while NBA League Pass (available in-browser or on a range of devices including games consoles, Apple TV, Roku and smartphones) covers out-of-market games. Do note that in the US, League Pass blacks out national broadcasts and your local team, so it works best alongside the channels above.
How to watch the NBA in the UK
UK fans have three solid options. Sky Sports is the main TV home for the NBA, and now into the second year of an 11-year deal covering both the NBA and WNBA. Sky Sports subscribers can watch on TV or via Sky Go, while a NOW Sports membership gets you the same coverage without a contract.
Prime Video is also in the game, with 67 regular-season games confirmed so far and another 20 UK primetime games still to be announced, all included in a standard Amazon Prime membership. Its season tips off with a doubleheader late on Friday 23 October, led by the Knicks against the Celtics. Prime is also the exclusive home of the NBA Manchester Game on 17 January, plus the NBA Cup knockout rounds and the Eastern Conference Finals.
And if you want to watch the lot, NBA League Pass streams every game live and on demand, with no blackouts for UK subscribers. It can be bought through, or linked to, your Prime Video account.
A word on timing: most games start between 7pm and 10:30pm ET, which means late nights or very early mornings in the UK. Opening night is a rare exception, with the Celtics-Pistons matinee tipping off at a much more civilised 8pm UK time.
Key dates
NBA Cup group play starts on 30 October, and the Cup championship game is on 11 December. Christmas Day brings five games, headlined by a Knicks-Spurs Finals rematch, and the regular season wraps up on 11 April 2027.
Courtside from anywhere
An 82-game season is a long time to stay in one place. Whether you’re on the road for work or chasing some winter sun, a VPN keeps your connection private on public Wi-Fi and lets you pick the country you connect from. That way your usual NBA streams are never more than a tap away.
Sponsored: CometVPN – VPN protection that doesn’t ask you to think about it. Fast servers worldwide, one tap to connect.
