NBA Teams Ranked: Surprising National TV Game Counts for 2024–25 Season Revealed!

One of the most effective methods to gauge the NBA’s perception of your favorite team is to tally the number of nationally aired games announced during the league’s yearly schedule unveiling.

The NBA operates primarily as an entertainment entity. It strives to feature its top-performing teams, albeit with a noticeable preference for franchises situated in major markets (we’re looking at you, Los Angeles, New York, and the Bay Area). This results in championship contenders receiving a larger share of nationally broadcast games, whereas teams forecasted to land near the bottom of the upcoming draft are likely to have most of their matchups shown only locally.

In this latest season, the NBA allocated the highest number of nationally televised games—broadcasted on platforms such as ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV—to the Los Angeles Lakers (39), Golden State Warriors (36), Boston Celtics (34), and New York Knicks (30). Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and Toronto Raptors found themselves at the bottom of the list, each with just four nationally aired games.

Among the teams making the most significant gains this year in terms of nationally broadcast games, the Minnesota Timberwolves stand out, leaping from 10 games last season to a total of 25 in the 2024–25 schedule. Other teams that will experience considerable increases in their national presence compared to the previous year include the Oklahoma City Thunder (+12 games), New York Knicks (+9), Indiana Pacers (+8), and the Houston Rockets (+7).

Continue scrolling to see the detailed breakdown of nationally televised games distributed to all 30 NBA teams. (As a side note, if you’re interested in the number of national TV games per team without including NBA TV—just focusing on ESPN, ABC, and TNT—make sure to check the second chart below.)

It’s worth noting that not every NBA fan has access to NBA TV. Below is a list detailing the national televised games for each team on ESPN, ABC, and TNT:

The NBA’s 2024–25 regular season gets underway on October 22 with a doubleheader on TNT, featuring the Knicks facing the Celtics at TD Garden, followed by the Timberwolves visiting the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.