The NBA will look much different this year, at least in terms of its broadcast schedule. The league’s new TV schedule will see national games continue on Disney properties like ESPN, with the addition of NBC and their Peacock streaming service, as well as Amazon Prime Video.
That’s right, NBA on TNT is no longer. However, fans will still get their fix of Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley as the show will now appear on ABC and ESPN.
The new NBA broadcast deal means fans will have more places to watch marquee games, and commissioner Adam Silver recently provided an interesting response to the rising cost of consuming game action. Nevertheless, the new deal and changing NBA landscape presents additional options for teams to play in front of a national audience, whether on cable or streaming.
Next season’s schedule is already out, which means we can take a look at who has the most nationally televised games (and those with the least) as a litmus test to see what the league thinks about your favorite team.
A number of squads are tied at the top with 34 national TV games. Fans will continue to get their fix of LeBron James and Steph Curry in the twilights of their careers as the Lakers and Warriors are at the top. The defending champion Thunder are rightfully at the top of the list as well, along with the Knicks who made a run to the Eastern Conference finals last year. The Rockets and Timberwolves are right below them with 28 national TV games apiece.
Each team has at least two nationally televised games with the Lakers, Warriors, Thunder and Knicks topping the chart with 34 national TV games apiece.
Some injuries appeared to impact the number of national TV games certain teams will play, specifically the Pacers who have just nine national broadcasts after the injury to Tyrese Haliburton in the NBA Finals and the departure of Myles Turner. You can even use this list to spot teams on the rise like the frisky Pistons who made the playoffs last year after a dreadful season the year before. Next season, they’ll have 16 nationally televised games compared to just four last season.
And if you’re into even more interesting storylines, Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks have one more national TV game than Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs after Dallas’s draft lottery luck following their odd season highlighted by the Luka Dončić trade with the Lakers.
Without further ado, here is the number of national TV games that each NBA team will play in the 2025-26 season, ranked from most to least:
|
Rank |
Team |
Number of National TV Games |
|---|---|---|
|
T1 |
New York Knicks |
34 |
|
T1 |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
34 |
|
T1 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
34 |
|
T1 |
Golden State Warriors |
34 |
|
T5 |
Houston Rockets |
28 |
|
T5 |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
28 |
|
7 |
Denver Nuggets |
26 |
|
8 |
Boston Celtics |
25 |
|
9 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
24 |
|
10 |
Dallas Mavericks |
23 |
|
11 |
San Antonio Spurs |
22 |
|
12 |
Los Angeles Clippers |
21 |
|
13 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
18 |
|
14 |
Detroit Pistons |
16 |
|
T15 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
14 |
|
T15 |
Orlando Magic |
14 |
|
17 |
Atlanta Hawks |
13 |
|
18 |
Memphis Grizzlies |
10 |
|
T19 |
Phoenix Suns |
9 |
|
T19 |
Indiana Pacers |
9 |
|
T19 |
Sacramento Kings |
9 |
|
22 |
Portland Trail Blazers |
8 |
|
23 |
Miami Heat |
5 |
|
T24 |
Charlotte Hornets |
3 |
|
T24 |
Chicago Bulls |
3 |
|
T26 |
Brooklyn Nets |
2 |
|
T26 |
New Orleans Pelicans |
2 |
|
T26 |
Washington Wizards |
2 |
|
T26 |
Toronto Raptors |
2 |
|
T26 |
Utah Jazz |
2 |
