How to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts in 2023
The 77th season of the NBA is approaching – it will start on October 18th, 2022, and will end on April 9th, 2023. Later on, the playoffs will take place until June 2023. If you’re searching on how to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts, you came to the right place.
Blackouts apply to all markets, which have an NBA team. If you registered your NBA League Pass account while being in Chicago, the system would detect your IP address, and you won’t be able to watch local games with Chicago Bulls playing.
Luckily, a robust VPN will help you bypass these geo-blocks tricking the platform that you’re connecting from a different location. Read on to find out how to use a VPN and enjoy the upcoming NBA season without a worry.
It’s easy to avoid blackouts on NBA League Pass no matter your location. Here’s a quick guide on how to bypass the blackout restriction and watch the games hassle-free:
How to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts with a VPN?
- Register with a reputable VPN and download the app. We recommend NordVPN, 63% off now!
- Install the app and launch it on your device.
- Connect to a server in a location where your game isn’t blacked out.
- Clear browsing data and cookies.
- Open your NBA League Pass and enjoy the heated rivalries!
What are NBA League Pass blackout restrictions?
Blackout restrictions are essentially bans that refer to non-airing television in a certain media market. They’re put in place because of the exclusive TV rights. The NBA League Pass blackouts apply in the US and Canada.
The NBA League Pass blackout restrictions are implemented on nationally and locally televised games (at the start of the season certain streaming deals are made and teams that get games nationalized are chosen). Since these US/Canadian streaming rights are exclusive, some NBA games can’t be broadcast live until after they are aired. That means that not only your local team games are blacked out, but most of the local games won’t be accessible as well.
For example, if a Canadian is registered with a Canadian zip code, they can’t watch the only Canadian team in the NBA because of these blackout restrictions. If there is an international version of this service, blackouts (mostly) do not exist outside the US.
Before getting a NBA League Pass, you’ll get the following blackout notice with an option to check local restrictions by entering your zip code:
NBA League Pass vs. NBA TV
NBA League Pass and NBA TV are subscription-based services that give fans the access to on-demand games, replays, and more NBA-focused content. What’s great is when you buy League Pass, NBA TV is included automatically. But you can still buy NBA TV separately. We’ve looked into how these two differ:
- NBA League Pass. You can watch every live game, obviously apart from the blacked out ones. NBA League Pass also archives games and you can watch archived games without commercial breaks. When the game is archived, you can even watch the games that are normally blacked-out.. Meaning that if you live in Chicago, you can’t watch Chicago Bulls live games, but when they are stored in the archive, you have full access to them.
Price: $14.99/month or $99.99/year with NBA TV included.
- NBA TV. This one is more similar to a channel like ESPN or ABC. They do give you additional 106 NBA games through the season, but you can’t really choose which ones you can watch. Similarly to ESPN – you can choose a variety of games but not all of them will be available. Blackout games will also be present in the archive after they aired.
Price: $6.99/month or $59.99/season + applicable taxes.
NBA League Pass seems like a great deal, as it gives you the access to watch out-of-market games and it includes NBA TV. Navigating broadcast blackouts can be annoying but as long as you have the NBA League Pass service and a reputable VPN bypass blackouts and access it from anywhere you would be in the world, you're all set. We recommend getting NordVPN alongside NBA League Pass.
Best NBA League Pass VPNs
- NordVPN – the best NBA League Pass VPN
- Surfshark – best-value VPN to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts
- PureVPN – trustworthy NBA League Pass VPN with excellent speeds
- ExpressVPN – a fast NBA League Pass VPN with great features
- CyberGhost – the largest server fleet NBA League Pass VPN
If you want to bypass the NBA League Pass blackouts and overcome the annoying geo-restrictions, you’ll need a robust and optimized VPN service. Using a VPN for NBA can make it seem as if you’re located where the blackouts don’t apply and watch the games with no issues with encrypted traffic. We picked the best VPNs for you to make sure you get the fastest speeds, multiple-device support, and enhanced security.
1. NordVPN – the best VPN to stream NBA League Pass
| 🌎Based in: | Panama |
| 🖥️Servers: | 5500+ servers in 60 countries |
| 🍿Streaming sites: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more |
| 🔥Coupons: | Get NordVPN with 63% OFF |
The best NBA League Pass VPN is NordVPN. It has a huge server fleet – over 5500 servers in 60 countries. Besides, it has nearly 2000 servers in the US across 15 different locations and 480+ Canadian servers in 3 locations. It provides blazing fast speeds and top-tier security – exactly what you need to watch NBA League Pass worry-free.
NordVPN is an ideal pick for streaming, as it uses advanced AES-256 encryption and cutting-edge tunneling protocols to keep your connection private and secure without losing speed. It also has a SmartDNS feature made for streaming. It allows you to configure VPN on devices that don’t work with VPNs.
NordVPN’s prices are decent – starting at $3.49/month. As a bonus, if you’d like to try accessing NBA League Pass for free, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
To find out more, read our full NordVPN review.
- High-quality American servers
- SmartPlay feature for simple streaming
- Consistently unblocks all major streaming sites
- Top-tier security
- Next-gen AES-256 encryption
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 7-day free trial on Android
- Sign-up requires email
2. Surfshark – low-cost VPN for NBA League Pass
| 🌎Based in: | The Netherlands |
| 🖥️Servers: | 3200+ servers in 60 countries |
| 🍿Streaming sites: | Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more |
| 🔥Coupons: | Get NordVPN with 63% OFF |
Surfshark is another top candidate when it comes to bypassing NBA League Pass blackouts. It’s one of the best choices to stream NBA games because of its blazing-fast speeds and unblocking capabilities.
With over 3200 servers in 100 countries and more than 600 servers across 25 cities in the US, Surfshark will let you not only change your NBA League Pass but it will also let you access region-specific libraries on most of the streaming platforms. These include Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Youtube TV, BBC iPlayer, and more.
You’ll be able to stream NBA games without blackouts and with fast speeds safely, thanks to its fast tunneling protocols and top-tier encryption ciphers.
You can try Surfshark with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Premium plans prices start from $2.30/month.
Read our comprehensive Surfshark review to learn more.
- Big server fleet
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Fast WireGuard protocol
- Unblocks most streaming platforms
- Strong security
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- The iOS app is slightly weaker
3. PureVPN – trustworthy VPN with fast streaming speeds
| 🌎Based in: | British Virgin Islands |
| 🖥️Servers/countries: | 6500+ servers in 78 countries |
| 🍿Streaming sites: | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube |
| 🔥Coupons: | Get PureVPN, now 87% OFF |
PureVPN is another excellent VPN for bypassing NBA League Pass blackouts. It’s super fast and safe and lets you simultaneously stream on up to 10 devices.
PureVPN has a massive server fleet – over 6500 servers in 78 countries and more than 1800 servers in the US across 13 different locations. The speed results are great, thanks to its tunneling protocols. PureVPN’s streaming performance is decent, besides unblocking NBA League Pass, it will let you access Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming platforms. PureVPN also supports WireGuard protocol, which offers good speeds.
In terms of security, PureVPN has a kill switch that will ensure your connections will stay secured at all times. Plus, obfuscation will let you hide that you’re using a VPN.
Prices start from $1.49/month and you can try a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Take a look at our in-depth PureVPN review.
- Unblocks most streaming sites
- Always-On audit
- No DNS leaks
- WireGuard support
- 10 simultaneous connections
- Limited Linux app
- Connection issues
4. ExpressVPN – a fast and secure NBA League Pass VPN
| 🌎Based in: | British Virgin Islands |
| 🖥️Servers/countries: | 3000+ servers in 94 countries |
| 🍿Streaming sites: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more |
| 🔥Coupons: | Get ExpressVPN, now 49% OFF the 1-year plan! |
ExpressVPN is another good choice to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts. The provider delivers impressive connection speeds and great security.
The providers' servers are located all around the world. You can choose from 94 countries. While you don't need many to watch NBA, the wide selection of locations helps unblock streaming sites. As a result, ExpressVPN is compatible with Netflix, Hulu, Youtube TV, and many other streaming services.
When it comes to security, ExpressVPN does not disappoint. The Threat Manager feature makes sure you avoid malicious websites and trackers. Meanwhile, the high-standard AES-256 encryption hides your traffic. Additionally, the provider follows a strict no-logs policy to protect your privacy further.
While ExpressVPN has a lot to offer, it comes with a hefty price tag. The pricing starts at $6.67/month, but if you change your mind, you can get your money back within 30 days.
Visit our detailed ExpressVPN review and learn more about the provider.
- Unblocks most streaming sites
- Has servers in the US cities
- Next-gen tunneling protocol
- Includes threat protection
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No kill switch for iOS users
- Split tunneling is missing on the iOS app
- Rather expensive
5. CyberGhost – a worthy VPN with a wide range of locations
| 🌎Based in: | Romania |
| 🖥️Servers/countries: | 9700+ servers in 91 countries |
| 🍿Streaming sites: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more |
| 🔥Coupons: | Get CyberGhost VPN, now 83% OFF + 2 months FREE |
Last but not least is CyberGhost – a worthy VPN for NBA League Pass. Rich in locations and features, CyberGhost is a fast and easy-to-use VPN service.
CyberGhost boasts over 9700 servers, with 2,239 of them in the US. With this amount of servers, you'll get a great NBA League Pass experience, but that's not all. Once the event is over, you'll be able to unlock geo-restricted services. CyberGhost works well with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Youtube TV, and more.
Safety is at the core of CyberGhost VPN. It is powered with WireGuard tunneling protocol, which offers an excellent balance between protection and speed. The VPN further protects your traffic with the highest-tier AES-256 encryption.
The price for CyberGhost varies depending on the duration of the subscription. The starting cost is $2.19/monthwith a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Check our detailed CyberGhost review and find out more about the features.
- Unblocks most streaming sites
- WireGuard support
- 7 simultaneous connections
- Advanced encryption
- No free version
- Linux client needs improvement
How to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts on desktop
A reputable VPN can help enable access to NBA League Pass on multiple desktop devices, including Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems. Here's how to bypass the blackouts on your desktop device:
- Register and download the app. We recommend using NordVPN.
- Install and launch the app.
- Connect to a server as close as possible to the zip code that allows you to watch your wanted team without restrictions.
- Create an NBA League Pass account and get ready to watch.
How to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts on mobile
Same as on desktop devices, you can also avoid NBA League blackouts on mobile devices. The step-by-step guide provided below is really straightforward. Here’s what you have to do:
- Choose a robust VPN that works well with mobile devices. We recommend NordVPN.
- Install the VPN app and launch it.
- Connect to a server as close as possible to that zip code which allows you to watch your wanted team without restrictions.
- Create an NBA League Pass account.
- Sit back and enjoy. It’s showtime!
The best way to avoid the app blocking your wanted games is to simply watch it on the browser.
Get NordVPNNBA League Pass VPN not working?
So your VPN is all set up but you still can't stream NBA League Pass? There are various reasons that could be, here are possible solutions that could help you:
- Try different servers or protocols. Some servers can reject connections if they’re overcrowded, try reconnecting to different servers or try using different protocols, like OpenVPN, IKEv2.
- Try using different browsers. It seems that Brave sometimes is better at unblocking restricted streaming services than other browsers.
- Make sure to clear browser cache and cookies. Doing this will refresh the website and solve the loading issues.
- Reconnect the VPN service. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the VPN service. If you’ve recently updated the app, there might be some connection issues.
- Check your Internet connection. Poor Internet connection might be a part of why NBA League Pass or VPN is not working. Make sure your Internet connection has stable speeds and whether the router is functioning properly.
- Change DNS settings. With the default DNS settings, the majority of streaming services and smart TVs perform at their best. Hence, switching from the default setting might be beneficial.
- Try a better, reputable VPN. Use a trustworthy premium VPN like NordVPN or Surfshark with updated software to maximize the performance of your streaming.
Can I use a free VPN to bypass NBA League Pass blackouts?
Technically, yes, however, not all free VPNs will work for NBA League Pass In addition, we don’t recommend using a free VPN, as it’s normally overcrowded, can have slow speeds and put users at risk because of intrusive ads and hidden malware.
Instead, we encourage you to check out freemium VPNs that are still free of charge and might do the trick of accessing the NBA games.
In this way, you can use a premium VPN service for free either with its free trials or money-back guarantees.
For instance, NordVPN has a 7-day free trial for Android users. After signup, you can easily connect it to 5 other devices. Alternatively, you can try its 30-day money-back guarantee. However, to keep up with the NBA games for the whole season, you’d still need to spare some money to get a long-term subscription.
Where else you can watch NBA games?
There are some other platforms than NBA League Pass to watch the games. You can stream some but not all the games on NBA TV. Additionally, games can be watched on ABC, ESPN and TNT. If you’re looking forward to watching the playoffs, Hulu + Live TV will be the ones to stream it on. In other countries it depends on the providers. For instance, the fans in the UK can watch NBA on Sky Sports.
It’s worth mentioning that if you can’t access the games on the platforms mentioned above because of the geo-blocks, you will need a reliable VPN, such as NordVPN, to change your IP address and unblock the service.
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FAQ
Does NBA League Pass work with a VPN?
Yes, NBA League Pass works with a VPN, we recommend NordVPN. Just bear in mind that not all VPNs will be able to unblock it as NBA League Pass detects and blocks some VPNs. For this reason, we recommend choosing a reputable VPNs that update their IP addresses regularly to avoid detection.
Why is NBA TV blocked in my area?
Since NBA TV and NBA League Pass are interchangeable, NBA TV sends your IP address and zip code to NBA League Pass to know if you can watch blacked out games. So for fans in the local market, in most of the US and Canada areas, NBA TV might be blocked. All in all, certain national broadcasters carry rights to a certain game.
What’s the best NBA League Pass VPN?
The best NBA League Pass VPN is NordVPN. It has a variety of server locations based in the US and more than 1970 US servers alone. It’s the most reputable VPN in the market with fast protocols, speedy streaming, and next-gen encryption.
Are NBA Playoff games blacked out?
Due to exclusive TV rights, playoff games are subject to the blackout. According to NBA Help Center, Canadian and US fans won’t be able to access All-Star Weekend or the playoff games, as these are going to be televised locally and only available in the NBA League Pass archives later.
Why is TNT blackouting NBA games?
Generally, some games are exclusive for other providers like ESPN. TNT does not have the rights to show these games.
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