Amanda Knapp
TBS has a long history of broadcasting basketball games. In the late 1970s, WTBS (channel 17) in Atlanta, which served as the originating feed of the national TBS cable channel, aired regular-season games from the Atlanta Hawks. TBS obtained the rights to air NBA games beginning with the 1984-85 season and carried numerous NBA Playoff games and the NBA draft from 1985-1989. In 1988, TBS and TNT signed a joint broadcast contract, and from the 1989-90 season onwards, they split the broadcast rights to televise NBA games. TBS continued to air NBA games weekly, but by the 1999-2000 season, its primetime game telecasts had shifted from Wednesdays to Mondays. TBS also aired NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship games in 2024, in collaboration with TNT Sports and CBS Sports.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| NBA games aired by TBS | Regular season and playoff games |
| First NBA season aired on TBS | 1984-85 |
| NBA games aired by TBS in 2003 | Indiana Pacers-Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs-Phoenix Suns |
| NBA games aired by TBS in 2004 | New Jersey Nets-Detroit Pistons |
| NBA games aired by TBS in 2006 | Los Angeles Clippers-Phoenix Suns |
| NBA games aired by TBS in 2007 | Phoenix Suns-San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers-New Jersey Nets |
| NBA games exclusively aired by TNT | Starting 2025-26 season |
| NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship coverage | Live coverage of all 67 games in 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
TBS aired NBA games from 1984-2002
TBS, or Turner Broadcasting System, aired NBA games from the 1984-85 season until the 2002-03 season. During this time, they shared the NBA television package with CBS, and later TNT, after Turner signed a joint broadcast contract in 1987.
TBS obtained the rights to air NBA games in 1984, replacing ESPN and the USA Network as the NBA's national cable partners. Initially, TBS aired approximately 55 regular season NBA games annually, as well as numerous playoff games and the NBA draft from 1985 to 1989.
In 1986, TBS televised the various contests from the NBA All-Star Weekend for the first time, and in 1987, they televised the slam dunk contest live for the first time. During the 1989 NBA playoffs, only 13 of the 24 games in the first round aired on TBS or CBS, with none of the four games from the Seattle-Houston first-round series appearing on national television.
In the 1989-90 season, Turner started to split the NBA cable package between TBS and TNT, with TNT holding the rights to broadcast the NBA Draft, most NBA regular-season and playoff games, while TBS aired single games or double-headers once a week. By the late 1990s, TBS had shifted its primetime game telecasts to Mondays, and later Tuesdays, while TNT assumed rights to Wednesday and Thursday evening games.
The 2001-02 season marked TBS's final year of NBA coverage, with ESPN assuming TBS's half of the NBA's cable television rights. The final NBA game to be regularly televised on TBS was on May 13, 2002, between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since then, TBS has occasionally served as an overflow feed for certain games, such as in 2003, 2004, and 2006, when scheduling conflicts or overtime games resulted in TBS airing parts of some playoff matchups. From 2015 to 2025, TBS also simulcast the NBA All-Star Game, which previously aired on TNT alone from 2003 onwards.
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TBS lost NBA rights to ESPN in 2002
TBS, or Turner Broadcasting System, began airing NBA games in 1984, replacing ESPN and USA Network as the NBA's national cable partners. In 1989, Turner started splitting the NBA cable package between TBS and TNT, with the latter holding the rights to broadcast the NBA Draft and most NBA regular season and playoff games. TBS, on the other hand, only aired single games or double-headers once a week.
In 2002, the NBA's contract with TBS expired, and ESPN, along with ABC, took over the cable rights from TBS. NBC had offered $1.3 billion to renew its rights, but the NBA opted for the higher bid from ABC and ESPN. This deal was worth $4.6 billion for the 2002 agreement. Since then, ESPN and ABC have continued to broadcast the NBA, with their most recent deal with the NBA lasting from 2025-26 to 2035-36 seasons.
While TBS initially discontinued game coverage, it later served as TNT's overflow feed during the playoffs and simulcast games like the NBA All-Star Game from 2015 to 2025.
In summary, TBS lost the NBA rights to ESPN and ABC in 2002 due to the expiration of its contract and the NBA's acceptance of a higher bid from the competing networks.
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TBS televised NBA All-Star Weekend from 1986
TBS, or Turner Broadcasting System, is an American cable and satellite network that has televised National Basketball Association (NBA) games. In 1984, TBS obtained the rights to air NBA games, replacing ESPN and the USA Network as the NBA's national cable partners. They shared the NBA television package with CBS.
From 1985 to 1989, TBS carried numerous NBA Playoff games and the NBA draft. They also televised 20 early-round conference playoff games beginning with the 1985 NBA playoffs. In 1986, TBS televised the NBA All-Star Weekend, and in 1987, they televised the slam dunk contest for the first time.
In 1988, TBS and TNT signed a joint broadcast contract, and from the 1989-90 season onwards, they split the NBA cable package. TBS aired single games or double-headers once a week, while TNT held the rights to broadcast the NBA Draft and most NBA regular-season and playoff games. During the late 1990s, TBS expanded its NBA coverage, airing games on Wednesday nights.
TBS continued to air NBA games until the 2002-03 season, when they lost the rights to ESPN. During 2002, TBS aired doubleheaders every Tuesday night of the playoffs until the Conference Finals. The final NBA game televised on TBS was on May 13, 2002, between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since losing the rights to air NBA games, TBS has occasionally served as an overflow feed for certain games on TNT, which is its sister network. From 2015 to 2025, TBS simulcast TNT's coverage of the NBA All-Star Game.
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TBS aired doubleheaders of first-round NBA games
TBS has a long history of airing NBA games. In the late 1970s, WTBS (channel 17) in Atlanta, which served as the originating feed of the national TBS cable channel, aired some regular-season games from the Atlanta Hawks, which were also owned by Ted Turner at the time. These games were also aired nationally on WTBS's superstation feed. TBS continued to air these games nationwide until NBA blackout restrictions were imposed within 35 miles of the home team's arena.
In 1984, TBS began televising games from NBA teams other than the Hawks, maintaining a package of approximately 55 regular-season NBA games annually. From the 1984-85 season onwards, TBS shared the NBA television package with CBS, replacing ESPN and USA Network as the NBA's national cable partners. During this time, TBS also carried numerous NBA Playoff games and the NBA draft from 1985 to 1989.
In the summer of 1988, TBS and TNT signed a new joint broadcast contract, effective with the 1989-90 NBA season. From this season onwards, the two networks split the broadcast rights to televise NBA games. TNT held the rights to broadcast the NBA Draft and most NBA regular-season and playoff games, while TBS only aired single games or doubleheaders once a week.
During the late 1990s, TBS expanded its NBA coverage. By 1994, the opening round of the playoffs featured overlapping doubleheaders on both TBS and TNT on the first two nights of each series. However, by the 2001-2002 season, TBS had discontinued its NBA game coverage altogether, with TNT assuming rights to Turner's NBA package.
On several occasions, TBS has served as an overflow feed for certain games, airing doubleheaders of first-round matchups. For example, in 2003, TBS aired a doubleheader of first-round Game 6 matchups between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. On May 22, 2006, due to Game 7 of the San Antonio Spurs-Dallas Mavericks series going into overtime, TBS aired part of the Game 7 Western Conference playoff match between the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns.
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$99
TBS and TNT split NBA broadcast rights from 1989-90
In 1984, TBS obtained the rights to air NBA games, replacing ESPN and the USA Network as the NBA's national cable partners. They shared the NBA television package with CBS. From the 1984-85 season, TBS started to televise games from NBA teams other than the Atlanta Hawks, maintaining a package of approximately 55 regular-season NBA games annually.
In the summer of 1988, the Turner Broadcasting System signed a new joint broadcast contract between TBS and TNT, which came into effect with the 1989-90 NBA season. From this point onwards, TBS and TNT split the broadcast rights to televise NBA games. TNT held the rights to broadcast the NBA Draft, as well as most NBA regular-season and playoff games. TBS, on the other hand, only aired single games or double-headers once a week.
During the late 1990s, both networks continued to expand their NBA coverage. By this time, TBS was airing games on Wednesday nights, while TNT ran games on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights. In 1994, the opening round of the playoffs featured overlapping doubleheaders on both TBS and TNT on the first two nights of each series.
The 2001-2002 season marked TBS's final year of NBA coverage. Turner Sports signed a new NBA television contract, with TNT assuming the rights to Turner's NBA package, and TBS discontinuing game coverage altogether. ESPN took over TBS's half of the NBA's cable television rights.
Since then, TBS has occasionally served as an overflow feed for certain games. For example, in 2003, TBS aired a doubleheader of first-round Game 6 matchups, and in 2006, TBS aired part of a Game 7 Western Conference playoff match due to the previous game going into overtime.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, TBS has aired National Basketball Association (NBA) games since the 1970s.
In 2003, TBS aired a doubleheader of first-round Game 6 matchups: the Indiana Pacers-Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs-Phoenix Suns series.
ESPN, TNT, CBS, NBC, and Amazon have all aired NBA games.
Yes, TBS aired games from the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
