US Trends

what channel is the nba

NBA games in the U.S. are on several channels, not just one: mainly ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock (streaming), Amazon Prime Video, and NBA TV, plus local/regional sports channels depending on your team.

Quick Scoop: What channel is the NBA on?

For the current 2025–26 season, nationally televised NBA games are spread across a weekly schedule.

  • Monday: Peacock (streaming).
  • Tuesday: NBC and sometimes Peacock.
  • Wednesday: ESPN.
  • Thursday: Amazon Prime Video (after NFL Thursday Night Football ends).
  • Friday: Amazon Prime Video, with some ESPN games.
  • Saturday: ABC prime time, with some ESPN and Amazon Prime daytime games.
  • Sunday: NBC and Peacock once NFL Sunday Night Football wraps up, plus ABC/ESPN for select games.

On top of that:

  • NBA TV is a dedicated basketball channel showing about 60 regular-season games plus studio shows and other basketball content.
  • Local/regional channels (like NBC Sports regional networks, MSG, Spectrum SportsNet, etc.) carry most of each team’s regular-season schedule, and the exact channel number depends on your cable/satellite/streaming provider and city.

Simple example

If you just turn on a typical cable or live TV streaming package on a big game night:

  • A marquee matchup might be on ESPN or ABC.
  • A special tournament or Emirates NBA Cup game could be on Amazon Prime Video.
  • A random midweek game between two non‑marquee teams might be on NBA TV or a local regional sports channel.

Because channel numbers differ by provider, the fastest way to find “what channel is the NBA” where you live is:

  1. Search your TV provider’s guide for “NBA” or your favorite team’s name.
  2. Check the NBA.com schedule, which lists the national channel (ABC, ESPN, NBC, Prime, NBA TV) and the local TV channel for each game.

Bottom line: there isn’t a single “NBA channel” for games; you’ll usually be flipping between ABC, ESPN, NBC/Peacock, Prime Video, NBA TV, and your local sports network depending on the day and matchup.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.