NBA Summer League will have a new television home this year, with Prime Video replacing NBA TV as the league unveiled its 2026 broadcast schedule. As in previous years, the remaining Summer League games will air on ESPN platforms.
The Summer League will begin play on Thursday, July 9, with the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the New Orleans Pelicans at 3:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Marquee Summer League games will be split between Prime Video and ESPN. ESPN’s first marquee telecast comes later that night, when No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards face No. 2 overall pick Darryn Petersen and the Utah Jazz.
The next day, Prime Video will air a Memphis Grizzlies-Chicago Bulls matchup in primetime featuring No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer on the Grizzlies and No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson.
The Summer League semifinals will air on Saturday, July 18, on Prime Video at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET. The championship game will air the following night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, occupying the time slot previously used for Sunday Night Baseball.
This is the first year that Prime Video will air Summer League games. Previously, Summer League games were split between NBA TV and ESPN. Amazon acquired partial rights to the Summer League as part of its 11-year media rights deal with the NBA that began in the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
That means Summer League is the latest major professional sports property to become increasingly fragmented. While fans could previously watch every nationally televised Summer League game with a cable subscription, they will now need Prime Video to see the full national schedule.
Note that in previous years, Summer League games have also aired locally. It is unclear whether that will continue in 2026, especially with many former FanDuel Sports Network teams yet to announce a television home for the 2026-27 regular season.
About Manny Soloway
Manny Soloway is a Iowa based writer focusing on TV ratings. He is also the founder of the TV Media Blog substack.