Reddit NBA Streams was previously a dependable way to watch basketball. Now that it’s been banned, what are the best alternatives?
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The NBA is back tonight after a quick offseason. The Warriors will travel to Barclay’s center to take on the Nets in a game that is personal for the players, despite what they have claimed in the media.
Kevin Durant’s first game back from his injury will be against Golden State, the team where he won 2 championships and 2 Finals MVPs. KD’s teammate Kyrie Irving, also returning from injury, has his own history with the Warriors.
In his time in Cleveland, Kyrie went against the Warriors in the finals 4 years in a row. Although he only won 1 ring in this period, he played a huge role in the title run.
In game 7, LeBron James blocked a seemingly open layup for Andre Iguodala which was followed by a clutch shot from Kyrie to seal the deal. The Cavs completed a comeback from 3-1 down, and are still the only team to ever do so in the finals.
Speaking of LeBron, his defending champion Lakers will also play the Clippers in Staples Center tonight after the Warriors-Nets game, in a match with obvious rivalry implications.
It really is a no-brainer to see why the league picked these 2 matchups to kick off the 2020-21 season.
Both games will be broadcasted on TNT. However, if you don’t have cable you may be concerned about missing the action. Read on to find out why r/nbastreams was banned and what the best alternatives are.
Why Was Reddit NBA Streams Banned?
The r/nbastreams subreddit was one of the most valuable resources for basketball fans around the world. Links, which were reliable for the most part, were posted for every single NBA game.
Fans were also spoiled, considering they could watch every single game, the draft, and more in high definition. And the best part about all of this was that the streams were completely free.
No payment, no account, just a link with a couple of pop-ups here and there. However, the free ride came to an end when Reddit banned the page at the start of last season. So, why did Reddit ban one of their most popular pages?
The short answer to this question is that the subreddit was technically illegal. If you watch other sports, you probably weren’t too surprised to see Reddit make this decision. Before the ban, the page for soccer, cricket, and MMA streams were taken down.
Afterwards, the subreddits for NFL and MLB streams were given a similar treatment. The basic problem is that posting free links is a clear case of copyright infringement and leagues were starting to take notice.
Obviously, free streams lead to a loss of revenue for the league and broadcasters so action needed to be taken. Interestingly though, Reddit was never forced to ban the subreddit, but rather chose to do so according to their own repeat infringement policy.
The policy reads:
Our policy is to close the accounts of users, in appropriate circumstances, who have repeatedly been charged with copyright infringement. Sometimes a repeat infringement problem is limited to one user and we close just that user’s account. Other times, the problem pervades a whole subreddit community and we close the subreddit.
What is the Best Way to Stream NBA Games Now?
Unfortunately, there are currently no free and legal ways to watch the NBA. The owners of the Reddit NBA Streams page clearly haven’t gone into hiding, returning with a page called r/adamsilverfanpage, a ironic jab at NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
This time, the people running the page have been more careful so to not violate any of Reddit’s rules. Regardless, it is highly recommended that you choose from the following paid options to get your NBA fix.
Across the long NBA season, games are broadcasted on ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBA TV, and RSNs (regional sports networks). Therefore, it is hard to find a single streaming service that can satisfy all your needs given the variety of broadcast rights.
A number of platforms including, but not restricted to YouTube TV, fuboTV, Vidgo, Hulu+Live Sports, AT&T, and Sling TV offer their own unique packages.
The best thing you can do is look into each streaming service to see what they offer and at what price, looking out specifically for your local market games.
Another option to look into is the league’s official streaming service: League Pass. Technically speaking, this is the only way to watch every single game live and on-demand.
But there’s a catch. Only international subscribers will have access to every single game. Due to the blackout rules in the States, fans living in the US can only watch out-of-market games live.
Additionally, you can’t watch nationally televised games live either, which unfortunately includes the playoffs. Therefore, this service is of great use for hardcore fans, but it is especially valuable for fans who don’t live in the market where their favorite team plays.
