The first of three NBA Summer Leagues begins on Saturday. The league’s top young players will try to earn their places on rosters for the upcoming season.

There are three Summer Leagues, though the NBA 2K25 league is the biggest. We’ll break them down below.

Here’s a look at the best ways to watch the 2024 NBA Summer Leagues for free, starting Saturday, July 6, through Monday, July 22, including the best streaming services and which ones have free trials or promotions for new customers looking to avoid paying for cable.

Where can I watch the 2024 NBA Summer Leagues season for free? What networks or TV channels are games on?

NBA Summer League games will air on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or NBA TV.

Track down your local channel listings for the channels above with our channel finder: Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTV

Where can I stream the 2024 NBA Summer League season for free without cable? Which service is best?

• Multiple streaming services offer the channels on which the NBA Summer Leagues will air during the 2024 season, but fuboTV (7-day free trial, then $79.99 per month) is the best way to get both a full-week free trial and the best-value monthly subscription rate after the trial is over. If you want to watch the entire summer league season, you’re going to need to pay monthly, but fuboTV includes NBA TV in its base package pricing and also offers an additional 250-plus channels, unlimited screens and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR to tempt you to stick around.
• DirecTV Stream Choice is the next best option. It offers a five-day free trial and 125-plus channels, including NBA TV. Plus, right now you can add the Sports Pack ($14.99/month), which includes channels like NFL Network and NHL Network and save $44.55 on your first month of service. You can watch the first two summer leagues for free and then decide if it’s worth paying $108.99 for the rest throughout the month of July.
• While it doesn’t offer a free trial, Sling Orange is a cost-friendly option worth considering, especially if you already plan on sticking around and a free trial isn’t important to you. Sling Orange includes ESPN and ESPN2, and you get half off your first month of service for just $20. Then, add the $11/month Sports Extra pack for NBA TV to get a full month for just $31. That’s more than a 50% cost reduction over the more premium live services above.
• Hulu + Live TV is another tempting option for NBA fans, because even though it does not include a free offer, it does include ESPN and ESPN2, and it throws in the full Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ libraries at the subscription price ($76.99 per month).

Cable customers with the listed channels in their cable package can also login on ESPN.com and other associated websites and apps with their cable credentials to stream the games for free.

When do the NBA Summer League seasons start? What is the schedule?

The 2024 NBA Summer Leagues begins Saturday, July 6, with all eight teams competing. The Los Angeles Lakers, whose roster now includes Bronny James Jr., will take on the Sacramento Kings 2 squad at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Here’s a quick look at each league.

• California Classic Summer League (July 6-10, Sacramento and San Francisco): Teams include the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, two teams from the Sacramento Kings 2 and a team from China. Each team will play three games. FULL SCHEDULE
• Salt Lake City Summer League (July 8-10, Salt Lake City): Teams include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz. Each team will play three games. FULL SCHEDULE
• NBA 2K25 Summer League (July 12-22, Las Vegas): This is the big one. All 30 teams will participate and combine for 76 games. Each team will play at least five games. FULL SCHEDULE