The latest edition of NBA is back, with the 2021-22 season already underway. And unlike the earlier two previous editions, which were blighted by various COVID related issues, the 2021-22 season should hopefully be a normal one.
However, with the resurgence of COVID in some parts of the country, having live audiences in the stadiums has again become a huge question mark.Â
Besides, who would risk going to crowded stadiums when you can stream live NBA matches on Firestick without cable TV? Yes, you heard that right!
This article will guide you to understand the ways by which NBA fans can set up their Firestick to stream live matches. We’ll talk about both free and official paid streaming services.Â
Continue reading and find out how.
Unlike other sporting leagues in the US, the NBA doesn’t have a contract with a single broadcasting network for live matches. A typical pre-season has 82 matches and the NBA doesn’t grant streaming rights for all matches to a single company.
Instead, there are four major networks with the streaming rights: ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV.
These four channels partner together and broadcast the typical NBA season. TNT is responsible for showcasing doubleheader matches on Tuesday/Thursday, while ESPN and ABC stream the remaining matches.
The NBA has a 9-year long-running contract with these networks, we are, currently, at the sixth year of the contract.Â
If you’re a satellite/cable user, this might not necessarily be an issue for you. You can subscribe to the sports channels mentioned and enjoy all the NBA matches.Â
But if you’re a cord-cutter on Firestick, you’ll have to look for other options. You will need to find streaming services that include at least three of the four major channels we mentioned.Â
Worry not! With the help of this guide, you’ll be able to do precisely that.Â
In case you’re not already aware, the regular NBA 2021-22 began on October 19, 2021, when the Brooklyn Nets took on the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks.
This NBA season is special for it is the 75th anniversary of the yearlong tournament. With the playoffs scheduled to start on April 16, 2022, Firestick users will be wondering how to go about watching it on their device for free.
So let’s get going.
To begin with, we’ll be listing out apps and services that are officially available on Firestick. But more importantly, these official apps offer all or some of the channels that stream NBA matches with no need for cable.Â
We’ll also be mentioning which channels are specifically missing from the apps. That way you can better choose the app/service you’d like to subscribe to.Â
It’s also important for you to know that most of these apps are specific to the US. That means, if you’re a non-US resident, you’ll require VPN services to access them (we recommend ExpressVPN).Â
Again, not to worry! We’ll also be talking about VPNs and how to subscribe and integrate their services on your Firestick.
We will begin the list with the popular FuboTV, which supports most channels required to stream NBA matches. So let’s get started.
FuboTV is a streaming service that’s rapidly growing to be one of the best in the industry. It primarily focuses on distributing live sports, therefore it’s an ideal option for those looking to stream NBA matches.
The streaming platform supports more than 220 live channels and is more than capable of replacing your cable TV subscription.Â
The only downside, as far as NBA fans are concerned, is that the service doesn’t include the TNT channel.Â
It has a subscription pack that costs $64.99/month. But you need to spend an additional $9.99/month if you want the Sports Lite package, which includes the NBA TV and much more.
There’s a Sports Plus package priced at $10.99/month as well, which includes NBA TV and other sports channels, like ESPN News and NFL RedZone.Â
It’s worth mentioning you have the option of a 7-days free trial and the possibility of simultaneous streaming on 3 devices with the starter pack.
While Sling TV in itself might not be the most obvious choice for users, when integrated with additional Sling packages, it makes for a great streaming service.
Sling Orange pack, priced at $10 for the first month, unlocks channels like ESPN and TNT, coupled with Sling TV’s Sports Extras package, which costs an extra $11/month, you will get unrestricted access to NBA TV.
With Sling TV, you have options to integrate either the NBA League Pass or an NBA Team Pass.Â
The former is priced at $29/month and offers access to all regular-season matches and playoffs, with the exception of the Finals.Â
The latter costs about $17.99/month and, as the name suggests, offers you the same content as the former but limited to a specific team of your choice.
Neither of the passes gives you access to the content available on ESPN, ABC, TNT or NBA TV.Â
Aside from sports channels, Sling TV offers as many as 32 other live channels. It, unfortunately, offers no free trial, but it does offer simultaneous streaming on up to three devices.
Normally, Hulu+ Live TV is a great option for most sporting events, especially because it includes ESPN+ and Disney+ subscriptions.Â
Even so, the fact that it doesn’t offer NBA TV is a major drawback for lovers of the sport.
Hulu does have major networks like ABC, ESPN and TNT, which makes it a viable option for NBA fans.Â
The standard package, which includes Live TV, is going to cost you $64.99/month. In contrast, the one which includes ESPN + and Disney + costs $72.99/month.
Additionally, the Hulu service comes with a 7-days free trial and simultaneous streaming of two devices with a standard package.
AT&T TV, which is now rebranded as DirectTV Stream, is among the most popular, all-in-one streaming apps. AT&T is the US’s second-largest network carrier, and its streaming service is second to none.
DirecTV Stream gives you access to all major channels with which you can stream NBA matches on your Firestick.Â
It has an Entertainment plan priced at $69.99/month. The subscription offers you all major sports channels needed to stream NBA, with the exception of NBA TV. To get that channel you’ll need to subscribe to the Choice plan, which will cost you $84.99/month.
Unfortunately, DirecTV Stream offers no free trial and its price ranges may be on the higher end of the spectrum for some users.Â
This streaming service is the newest on the list, and even so, it offers all the four major network channels.Â
It perhaps is the best suited service for NBA fans. That’s because it doesn’t need any additional package to enable NBA channels.
The service comes at a subscription price of $54.99/month for the first three months, then $64.99/month.
Other features of the service worth remembering are a 5-days free trial, unlimited DVR storage support, and simultaneous streaming on three devices at a time.Â
There’s yet another option besides the ones mentioned above, that is, the NBA League Pass. However, in all honesty, that isn’t a really good option considering the pass doesn’t give you access to live games.
In fact, League Pass gives you access to matches only as much as three hours after a real-time match has been broadcasted. The pass also doesn’t let you stream NBA finals.Â
If you’re a basketball fan who prefers watching matches live, in real-time, the NBA League Pass, which is priced at $199.99/annually ($28.99/month), is not really the best option.
Obviously, the NBA has fans all over the globe, the UK being no exception. If you’re an NBA fan living in the UK, you have the option of using the Sky Go app to watch the games on your Firestick.
That is not the best option around, especially if you’re a cord-cutter, as it would require a Sky TV subscription. As an alternative, users in the UK can subscribe to NOW’s Sports Membership.
The streaming service has a subscription plan that’s priced at £33.99 per month, which supports all the major Sky Sports channels.
The good thing about subscribing to this service is that the first three months cost ÂŁ25/month. It includes a one-month free trial and offers a resolution of full 1080p HD.Â
Additionally, the streaming service is supported on Firestick, as well as other platforms such as android devices and gaming consoles.Â
For fans of the NBA in Canada we have some good news: they can also stream live matches on their Firestick without cable TV.
The most suitable option for them is Sportsnet’s SN NOW app which is available on Firestick as well as iOS, Android and gaming consoles. The service offers excellent sports content, includes VoD titles, and also supports split-screen streaming.
As of now, the streaming service is available at the very reasonable price of $19.99/month.
Yes, you heard that right! You can make use of the official apps mentioned above to stream NBA matches for free. You must be intrigued as to how that is even possible.
Well, as we mentioned, most of these streaming services have a free trial feature. Taking advantage of it, you can enjoy streaming weeks of NBA coverage for free without having to actually subscribe to their plans.Â
For one, the YouTube TV streaming service, which offers all four major networks broadcasting NBA matches, has a 5-days trial period.Â
You can sign up for the free trial, which, during some promotions periods, runs for even longer durations .
Next, you can move on to FuboTV and get access to its 7-days free trial. Once that’s over, you can sign up for a week’s free trial on Hulu+ Live TV.
To put it simply, you can make use of the free trial feature on official streaming services and watch three weeks’ worth of NBA for free. But make sure you cancel the trial before the due date, or else the streaming service will charge you for a subscription plan as soon as the trial period ends.Â
With this method, you can watch a few weeks’ worth of NBA action for free. But a typical NBA season doesn’t end in a few weeks, now does it?Â
So what about the remaining weeks of matches after the trial ends? What about the playoffs and the Finals? How to watch them for free?
Well, you can create new IDs and credentials to subscribe to the free trial service over and over. You can do that until the season ends, but that’s quite a hassle.
Don’t worry, though!Â
You’re not limited to the official streaming apps.Â
Say you believe the paid services, as well as the free trial method mentioned above, aren’t the best options for you. In that case, you can try the unofficial methods, which include IPTVs, Kodi add-ons and other third-party apps.Â
IPTV services are the best option for cord-cutters. These services carry thousands of live channels, some of them useful to stream NBA matches on Firestick.
IPTVs are reasonably priced when compared to the official streaming apps and they usually have monthly plans instead of longer ones.
You don’t necessarily have to worry whether or not a particular IPTV service has all channels necessary to watch NBA matches. If it doesn’t, you can for instance, simply move to another IPTV service as there are so many options available.Â
As for which IPTV to consider, you don’t have to worry about having to search through the vast amount of options out there. We have mentioned below some of the best IPTVs relevant for NBA fans.Â
Glance through these ones and sign up for whichever you prefer.
The streaming platform has over 2000 live channels and supports many sports channels in full HD, it comes at a minimal subscription cost of €11/month for two connections.
This is an IPTV popular among sports enthusiasts, as the standard subscription package comes with all major sports channels across the UK, US and more. It’s priced at £17/month and offers you more than 7000 live channels.
Another favorite among sports lovers is the Prime IPTV.Â
In the sports category, Prime IPTV offers you a full HD resolution, something which is rare among IPTVs in general. The monthly plan starts at $25 and counts with VoD, PPV, live sporting events and more.
As the name gives away, this IPTV caters mainly to sports lovers. You get access to more than 6500 satellite channels from across the globe at the reasonable price of $9.95/month.
When it comes to free streaming apps, there’s nothing better than Kodi addons and apps sourced from unofficial repositories.Â
The only downside of using addons is that you’ll have to sideload them on the Firestick. That’s not a particularly challenging task if you know how to go about it.
As is the case with IPTV services, there are plenty of options among Kodi addons to choose from. You need to select one and integrate it on your Firestick.Â
We mention here some of the most popular sports-centric Kodi addons. You can enjoy NBA matches for free using any of these with the Kodi media player.
Disclaimer: Before you start making use of these unofficial, free apps to stream NBA matches, here’s a word of caution:
Some of these unofficial streaming apps/add-ons contain unlicensed content, which can land you in legal trouble if you happen to stream such content, deliberately or otherwise.
Before you start watching NBA matches for free on Firestick, it’s advisable to keep the streaming activity anonymous. That’s easy with the help of VPN services which mask the original IP address and provide you protection from online surveillance. 
As must be obvious by now, basketball fans don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars every month just to watch their favorite teams compete for the NBA title. Although we do recommend using paid, official apps for streaming matches, if you find yourself short on cash, unofficial streaming services such as IPTV services and Kodi addons are great options. Just make sure you have a good and reliable VPN service enabled while you’re streaming the matches, and you’re good to go.
