Yo, you watching game tonight? must be the most spoken sentence in the US last year. Not kidding, the 2025 NBA game season was watched by more than 87 million people, which is the NBA’s highest viewership in 15 years. Yes, besides all those infamous NBA blackouts. Luckily, there are ways to watch blackout NBA games. You can subscribe to a paid regional sports network cable package, stream it through national sports networks like ESPN or TNT. Or you can opt to virtually change your location and IP address by using a VPN to bypass local blackout restrictions on NBA League Pass.

In case you don’t know, the NBA League Pass is the official NBA streaming service with live and on-demand out-of-market games. However, you can still run into blacked-out games on NBA League Pass if a local or regional network owns exclusive rights to broadcast certain games in a specific location.

This guide explains what is a blackout restriction and why NBA blackout restrictions exist. You will also read about how fans try to bypass NBA League Pass blackout restrictions in their area.

What are NBA blackout restrictions?

NBA blackout restrictions stop certain games from being shown in specific locations. If a game is available through a local television broadcaster like ESPN, TNT, ABC, or NBA TV, streaming services may block it for viewers in that region.

This does not exempt viewers with NBA league passes either and you will see “this game is not available live on NBA League Pass” error on your screen.

This means that you cannot watch the live streams online on certain platforms because another network has the right to show it.

The purpose of these restrictions is to protect broadcast agreements between the NBA and television partners.

Blackouts usually affect live broadcasts. Once the game is over, it may become available later through replays or archives.

Why does NBA League Pass have blackouts on streaming services?

Broadcasting rights are the reason for NBA blackouts. Since Television networks pay large amounts of money to show games, they receive exclusive access to those broadcasts. This is why NBA League Pass have blackouts on streaming services.

How to check if an NBA game is blacked-out in your area?

For US NBA fans, NBA games are restricted if your location is within 75 miles of a team’s arena.

If you are wondering, why is nba tv blocked in my area, check which game is restricted in your area by entering your area zip code on NBA League Pass purchase page or it’s better you understand the NBA blackout Map on Google Maps.

In Canada, blackout restrictions include all nationally broadcast games. Nationally broadcast games will be available for viewing on-demand roughly 3 hours after the game has concluded.

How do NBA League Pass blackouts work?

A blackout on NBA League Pass happens when the service checks your location using your internet connection (IP address). If a local TV network or national broadcaster owns the rights to show that game in your area, League Pass will not stream it live for you.

Even though blackout restrictions exist, fans still have several ways to watch games online.

How to watch blackout NBA games on desktop?

You will need to use a VPN for NBA League Pass blacked-out games. This is the only way to bypass blackout restrictions.

A VPN masks your IP address and changes your virtual location to a different city where the game is available. This NBA blackouts workaround is perfect for desktops, but mobile devices may require a VPN with GPS spoofing capabilities.

Here is how to bypass NBA league pass blackout with a VPN.

  1. Subscribe to a reliable NBA League Pass VPN.
  2. Download and install the VPN on your device.
  3. Open the VPN app and connect to a server where the NBA game you want to watch is not blacked out.
  4. Head to the NBA League Pass, sign up, and start streaming!

How to bypass blackout NBA games on Mobile?

The mobile version of NBA League Pass detects your location using your mobile device’s GPS, besides checking your internet IP address. This is done to apply blackout rules on your device.

Because of this, a regular VPN connection alone is insufficient to bypass NBA restrictions. You need a VPN service that includes an additional GPS spoofing feature, which can replace your phone’s actual GPS location with the location of the VPN server.

When the GPS override feature is enabled in the VPN app’s “Advanced settings”, the device reports the same virtual location for both IP address and GPS, which can help prevent the app from identifying your real location.

Here’s how to get around the NBA League Pass blackouts on mobile using a VPN with a built-in GPS spoofer:

  1. Choose a VPN with a built-in GPS spoofing feature.
  2. Download and install the VPN.
  3. Turn on the Override GPS Location feature in VPN app settings.
  4. Connect to a VPN server in a location where blackout restrictions do not apply.
  5. Clear your device’s cache to prevent the exposure of your real location.
  6. Open the NBA League Pass app and log in to stream the game.

What is US League Pass vs International League Pass?

Every NBA game is available live with NBA League Pass in every country except the US and Canada due to blackouts.

If you subscribe to NBA League Pass in the US or Canada, you will still be put to national and local blackouts, even though the subscription price is similar to what users pay in other countries.

However, if you subscribe from another country, the international version of League Pass lets you watch all games live without blackouts because the games are considered out-of-market.

How to watch out-of-market NBA games?

Regional sports networks (RSNs) of your region like (ABC, TNT, NBC) that hold broadcasting rights for the home team broadcast selected out-of-market games only. Here’s what you need to do to to watch out-of-market NBA games:

  1. Subscribe to NBA League Pass.
  2. Choose a VPN for NBA league pass restriction.
  3. Connect to a server outside the blackout area.
  4. And start streaming.

Conclusion

NBA blackout restrictions are frustrating when someone is a huge fan who wants to watch every game live. These restrictions protect regional broadcasting rights, yet they make online streaming more complicated for an NBA fan.

People still ask why watch the NBA with a VPN.

Besides VPN letting you workaround NBA restrictions in the US, many streaming sites are only available in a specific country or region. If you travel abroad, you may not be able to watch the NBA on your regular platform, unless you use a VPN.

A VPN can also unblock sports streams on restricted school, work, and public Wi-Fi networks. It does this by encrypting your connection so that networks can’t detect your activity.

Connect to a VPN server in your home country to change your IP, and you can stream as usual.

Understand how blackout rules work to bypass NBA restrictions and follow your favorite teams throughout the season.

FAQs

Where can you watch NBA games in the UK?

You can watch NBA games in the UK on TNT Sports, which streams regular-season games, playoff matches, and other NBA events through platforms like Discovery+, Sky, and Virgin Media.

Where can you watch NBA games in Canada?

In Canada, NBA games are broadcast on TSN and Sportsnet, which both stream live matches and highlights during the season.

Where can you watch NBA games in France and some Middle Eastern countries?

Fans in France and parts of the Middle East can watch NBA games through beIN Sports, which offers live broadcasts, highlights, and on-demand coverage of several matches.

Can you watch NBA games on ABC in the United States?

Yes. In the United States, several NBA games are shown on ABC, which can also be streamed through live TV platforms such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo.

What is the best platform to watch all NBA games?

The most complete option is NBA League Pass, which provides live and on-demand access to most games throughout the NBA season.