How to watch Los Angeles Lakers: live stream every 2020/21 NBA game from anywhere
Catch all the NBA action from Los Angeles this season
The wait is over and Lakers fans will be able to watch their favorite team play basketball soon as the NBA has released its schedule for the 2020-21 season. Keep reading as we have all the details on how you can watch the Los Angeles Lakers from anywhere in the world.
The Lakers will hold their season opener in their home town of Los Angeles where they’ll take on their long-time rivals the LA Clippers at the Staples Center on Tuesday, December 22. Just like the rest of the teams in the league, the Lakers will play 72 games this season and while the schedule for the first half of the 2020-21 regular season has been released, the schedule for the second half will be released in early 2021.
Everything you need to know to watch the Los Angeles Lakers online for every game of the 2020/21 NBA season is below, from TV channel details to live streaming options - and you can take your preferred Lakers’ coverage with you wherever you are by drafting a rock-solid VPN.
Last season the Los Angeles Lakers won 52 games out of a total of 71 games before going on to win the Western Conference. The team faced off against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals where Los Angeles managed to win four out of a possible seven games. As a result, the Lakers won their first NBA championship in ten years. Will Los Angeles win another championship this year and set themselves up for a three peat attempt in 2022?
The 2020-2021 NBA season is just around the corner and what better jumping off point to start keeping track of your favorite team. Lucky for you, you won’t have to miss any of the Laker’s 72 regular season games with our guide to live stream the Los Angeles Lakers from anywhere in the world even during NBA blackouts. Keep reading and we’ll show you exactly how to watch every game on TV or online.
- Related: how to watch an NBA live stream of every game
How to watch a Los Angeles Lakers live stream from outside your country
You may not be able to watch the Los Angeles Lakers play using your cable TV or streaming service subscription due to coverage blackout rules in the US or international geo-blocking restrictions.
When this is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service, which masks your IP address - and therefore your location - when you visit a website. On top of that, it gives you the ability to reroute your device's internet connection through a server in a different country or state, thereby getting you access to coverage that might not otherwise be available - even though you probably pay for it.
Use a VPN to get a Lakers live stream abroad
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Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.
How to watch the Lakers in the US: live stream Los Angeles Lakers basketball in 2020-21
Lakers fans in the US that don’t want to miss a single game this season will need either a cable package or a subscription to a streaming service that gives you access to ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ABC, TNT, NBA TV and your Fox Sports and NBC Sports regional sports networks (RSNs).
For this reason, we recommend getting a subscription to a streaming service that gives you access to ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ABC, TNT, NBA TV, Fox Sports and NBC Sports instead of signing up for NBA League Pass. If you’re located outside the US it’s a different story as the International NBA League Pass doesn’t have these same restrictions but more on that later. Of all the streaming services currently available, FuboTV is the best option for most Lakers fans.
The best streaming service for Los Angeles Lakers fans
To watch every Lakers game this season, you’ll need to sign up for the service’s Family Plan which costs $64.99 per month. It gives you access to almost all of the channels you’ll need to watch the NBA live this season as it includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, NBA TV, though not TNT. Plus, you try FuboTV FREE with this deal!
FuboTV also doesn’t offer access to the Los Angeles Lakers’ local broadcaster Spectrum SportsNet LA. If you have cable, you’ll likely already have access to this channel but if you’ve cut the cord, AT&T TV NOW is the only streaming service that supports Spectrum SportsNet LA.
The cheapest way to live stream Lakers game
If you only want to watch the biggest games and are less concerned about RSN coverage, you can watch the NBA online for less with great value OTT streaming service Sling TV.
Its Orange package costs just $30 a month and gets you ESPN and TNT, while a $10 p/m Sports Extra add-on nets you NBA TV. This combo will give you an NBA live stream for many nationally televised games, with ABC the only channel not on offer.
Plus, Sling offers a FREE TRIAL period so you can check it out for yourself - and unlike cable, cancel your subscription at any time. Its regional sports network (RSN) offering is limited, however.
How to watch Lakers games out of market
The NBA has its own streaming service called NBA League Pass that will allow you to follow either your favorite team or teams all season long. With NBA Team Pass, you get access to every live game for one team with full replays for $119.99 a year. NBA League Pass gives you the same coverage but instead of having access to just one team’s games, you can watch live games for every team in the NBA for $199.99.
Basketball fans who want the complete package though will have to sign up for NBA League Pass Premium which gives you access to all teams and in-arena streams for $249.99 a year. NBA League Pass offers the most content by far but there is a catch, NBA blackouts still apply so you won’t be able to view local games live.
How to watch Los Angeles Lakers blackout games
If blackouts have become an issue for whatever reason, remember that having a good VPN on your software roster can help you get around this - just follow the guide above.
How to watch a Los Angeles Lakers live stream in Canada
Lakers fans in Canada will need either a cable package or a subscription to a streaming service that gives you access to SportsNet, TSN 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as well as NBA TV Canada. While you could add these channels to your current cable package, this can get pricey real quick as many of this season’s games will be shown on premium channels.
If you’d prefer to stream basketball online, you can subscribe to SportsNet Now for $19.99 per month and this will allow you to livestream over 200 NBA games including the Raptors and the NBA Playoffs. If you just want to watch a few basketball games, the service also offers a 7-day pass for $9.99. Alternatively, a TSN subscription will also set you back $19.99 per month.
However, neither of these options will get you the same coverage as NBA League Pass which allows you to stream one team, all the teams in the league or even all teams without commercials depending on which package you choose.
How to watch the Los Angeles Lakers: live stream every game in the UK
If you’re in the UK, then Sky Sports is your best bet for watching the Lakers this season as the network is beginning year three of its four-year broadcast deal with the NBA. As a Sky Sports subscriber, you’ll get access to full coverage of the NBA including this year’s Christmas Day games and 2021 All-Star week.
The Lakers are often among the teams featured on Sky Sports, but for those who don’t want the full commitment of a Sky contract, there are other options, including its Now TV Sky Sports Pass.
A Now TV Sky Sports Pass will let you watch the network’s NBA coverage and can be cancelled at any time. In addition to the NBA, there’s also loads of football, cricket, golf, and F1 action, with pricing that starts at £9.99 for a day's use - but we highly recommend the better value Monthly Pass for the majority of viewers. It's currently down to just £25 a month gets you coverage for the beginning of the 2020-21 NBA season as well as the full month of content from other sports as well.
For die-hard Lakers fans that can’t stand the thought of missing a single game, NBA League Pass is also available in the UK. However, unlike in the US, the International NBA League Pass doesn’t have any blackouts or other restrictions so you’ll be able to watch every Lakers game this season live as it happens.
How to watch Los Angeles Lakers NBA games in Australia
Lakers fans in Australia have a few options to watch the NBA this season as Foxtel, SBS and Kayo Sports will all broadcast live games.
Foxtel will broadcast live NBA games via ESPN but you will need to add the network’s Sports Package for $25 per month on top of the Foxtel Plus Pack at $49 per month to watch making it a hard option to recommend. While you won’t be able to watch every game this season on SBS, the network will show basketball games on Saturday and Sunday this season.
If you’ve already cut the cord, then the excellent value streaming service Kayo Sports also has you covered for all things ESPN and can be cancelled at any time - so we'd recommend looking into this option first. It costs either $25 or $35 per month depending on which package you choose but it’s still far cheaper than Foxtel and you can grab a 14-day FREE TRIAL to test it out. Perhaps best of all, a single Kayo Sports subscription can be used simultaneously across multiple devices, meaning you can share one with family or friends and pay less.
Additionally, NBA League pass is available in Australia for those who don’t want to miss a single Lakers game this season.
For those wanting to watch home coverage of sports from overseas, a VPN is usually the solution - and our latest December 2020 testing has current No. 1 pick ExpressVPN working brilliantly with the service.
Los Angeles Lakers: 2020/21 season team news
Ahead of the 2020/21 NBA season, Los Angeles has started off on a major overhaul of its roster by trading Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee. However, the Lakers have also added some new players to their roster including Dennis Schröder, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol.
The Lakers have made their intention of aiming to win back to back championships this year clear and the team is among the thirteen NBA teams that have managed to win consecutive titles in the past. In fact, Los Angeles has actually won consecutive championships three times with the first time being in 1987-1988. From 2000-2002 the Lakers won the NBA championship three times in a row and in 2009-2010, the team did so twice.
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After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.