NBA on Prime 2026–27: Schedule, How to Watch, and Amazon's New AI 3D Replays
NBA on Prime season 2 tips off 23 Oct: Knicks-Celtics. Full key dates, the crew, price, how to watch by country, and Prime 360 AI 3D replays explained.
Short answer: NBA on Prime's second season starts Friday, 23 October 2026 with a doubleheader: Knicks at Celtics at 7 p.m. ET and Rockets vs Spurs in Austin at 9:30 p.m. ET. In the US the games come with a regular Prime membership ($14.99/month or $139/year), with no extra NBA add-on. New this season is Prime 360, an AI replay system that rebuilds a play from cameras around the arena so the broadcast can move the viewpoint through it.
Below are the key dates, how to watch outside the US, the full crew, and what Prime 360 actually does.
NBA on Prime schedule 2026: the dates that matter
Amazon's official how-to-watch page (updated 14 October) lists 67 exclusive regular-season and Emirates NBA Cup games, plus the Play-In, some first- and second-round games, and, for the first time, the Eastern Conference Finals. Other outlets give different totals. Cord Cutters News says "60+" and MobileSyrup says 66, so we use Amazon's figure.
All times are US Eastern (ET):
| Date | Game(s) | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 23 Oct | Knicks at Celtics, 7:00; Rockets vs Spurs (Austin), 9:30 | Season 2 opener; defending champion Knicks open on the road |
| Fri 30 Oct | Knicks at 76ers, 7:30; Lakers at Warriors, 10:00 | NBA Cup group play starts |
| Fri 27 Nov | Heat at Knicks, 7:00; Lakers at Spurs, 9:30 | Black Friday "Cup Night" |
| 4, 5, 8 Dec | NBA Cup knockout rounds (TBD) | Exclusive to Prime |
| Fri 11 Dec | NBA Cup championship | At Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| Thu 31 Dec | Nuggets at Timberwolves, 4:00 | Ahead of Thursday Night Football |
| Thu 14 Jan | Pelicans vs Spurs, 2:00 | NBA Global Game in Paris |
| Sun 17 Jan | Spurs vs Pelicans, 10:30 a.m. | NBA Global Game in Manchester |
| Thu 28 Jan | Heat at Bucks, 9:30 | Giannis's first game back in Milwaukee |
| 4–6 Feb | Six games in three days | Busiest stretch of the season |
| Thu 9 Apr | Pistons at Knicks, 7:00; Nuggets at Spurs, 9:30 | Final regular-season Prime night |
| April–May | Play-In (all six games), select first/second-round games, Eastern Conference Finals | First Prime-exclusive conference final |
Fridays are the main night through December. Thursday doubleheaders take over in January, and Saturday afternoon games start in February. Amazon says the defending champion Knicks, the runner-up Spurs, the Lakers and LeBron James's 76ers each appear 10 times. The NBA.com list has every game.
How to watch NBA on Prime Video (US)
- Get Prime. It costs $14.99/month or $139/year, there's a 30-day free trial, and young adults and qualifying government-assistance recipients pay half.
- Open the Prime Video app on a phone, smart TV, Fire TV, console or browser.
- Search for "NBA" or go to Sports, then Live & Upcoming, and press play.
You don't need League Pass or a separate NBA Prime add-on for these games. Not sure Prime is worth it in your country? Our Prime price guide by country breaks it down.
How to watch NBA on Prime in every country
Rights vary by country, and this is where readers get confused. In early July, Amazon told Advanced Television that Prime Video shows NBA games live in more than 200 countries at no extra cost. But which games you get depends on where you live. This is what we could verify:
| Where you are | What Prime Video gives you | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| United States | The full exclusive package: 67 regular-season and Cup games, Play-In, select playoffs, East Finals | Prime membership only |
| Canada | New this season: Prime Video Canada carries NBA games under the 11-year deal (MobileSyrup) | Other games stay on Sportsnet/TSN, which you can add as Prime Video Channels |
| Europe (incl. France, UK) | The Paris (14 Jan) and Manchester (17 Jan) Global Games (Cord Cutters News); Amazon reported European viewership more than doubled last season | Your local Prime Video sports listings |
| Brazil, Mexico, Latin America | Amazon reported NBA viewership up 80% in Brazil and Mexico last season | Local Prime Video listings |
| Asia Pacific (incl. India) | Amazon reported viewership up 29% in key markets, without naming them | Local listings; NBA League Pass may be the main option |
| Anywhere | NBA League Pass is sold as a subscription inside Prime Video | League Pass blackouts and local pricing |
Editor's note: We couldn't find a single official country-by-country list for 2026–27. Before game night, search "NBA" in your local Prime Video app. If a game isn't there, it's either on a local broadcaster or behind League Pass.
NBA on Prime crew 2026–27
From Amazon's season page:
| Role | Names |
|---|---|
| Play-by-play | Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady, Eric Collins |
| Game analysts | Stan Van Gundy, Brent Barry, Dell Curry, Jim Jackson |
| Sideline | Cassidy Hubbarth, Kristina Pink, Allie Clifton, JayDee Dyer |
| Studio host | Taylor Rooks |
| Studio analysts | Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Udonis Haslem, Kyle Lowry |
| Game and studio analysts | Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Candace Parker |
The shows are NBA on Prime Pregame (starting 30 minutes before tip, from Amazon MGM Studios in Culver City), The Half, The Crossover between doubleheader games, and the one-hour NBA Nightcap. Our featured photo shows Rooks, Nowitzki, Nash, Griffin and Haslem on The Half set.
Prime 360 explained: Amazon's AI 3D replays
This is the main new feature in season two. According to Amazon and GeekWire's report, it works in four steps:
- Capture. A ring of synchronized, high-resolution cameras surrounds the court.
- Reconstruct. The footage goes to AWS, where AI models rebuild each play as a 3D scene.
- Fly through. Producers can place a virtual camera anywhere in that scene, such as court level, behind the shooter or above the screen, and move it through the play. One Amazon product director described it as being able to fly the camera through the action.
- Use it fast. It runs on Amazon's own AWS Trainium AI chips and turns replays around quickly enough for live in-game use. Analysts also use it in pregame, halftime and postgame shows on select broadcasts.
Editor's take: Multi-camera 3D replays aren't new. Intel showed 360-degree NBA replays back in 2016. What's different is the AWS processing behind it, which makes the replays fast enough for a live broadcast rather than a post-game feature. How often Prime uses it on a typical night is something we'll learn this week.
The other AI features returning
- Prime Vision: An alternate stream with player-ID graphics and data-driven stats.
- Prime Insights: Shows scoring-position players, defensive coverages and live shot stats.
- Rapid Recap: A roughly two-minute AI-made catch-up reel if you join a game late.
- Key Moments: AI-picked highlights you can watch on demand.
- Yahoo Fantasy integration: Shows your fantasy roster and live points on screen.
- FanDuel bet tracking: Opt-in tracking of your bets. You can't place bets in Prime Video.
- Multiview: Watch several games at once, including League Pass games.
The AI work behind these comes partly from the NBA–AWS partnership. If you're curious how the cloud side works, start with our AWS explainer, and see our Bedrock and Nova guide for the generative-AI layer.
What fans are saying (and asking)
Season two hasn't started yet, and we couldn't find any verifiable r/nba or r/primevideo threads about Prime 360. We'll update this section after the 23 October opener.
Last season's main complaints came from commentary pieces rather than Reddit. They included buffering and audio drifting out of sync during some playoff streams. Whether Prime has fixed that is the first thing to watch on opening night. Amazon's own number for season one was an average of 1.00 million US viewers across 67 regular-season games.
What readers are asking us:
- Is NBA on Prime included with Prime, or extra? (Included in the US.)
- Can I watch from outside the US? (Partly. See the country table.)
- Will the Knicks–Celtics opener have Prime 360? (Amazon says "select broadcasts" and hasn't named games.)
FAQ
When does NBA on Prime start in 2026?
Friday, 23 October 2026: Knicks at Celtics at 7 p.m. ET, then Rockets vs Spurs in Austin at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Do I need to pay extra for NBA on Prime Video?
Not in the US. A standard Prime membership ($14.99/month or $139/year) covers it, and there's a 30-day free trial for new members.
How many games are on Prime Video in 2026–27?
Amazon says 67 exclusive regular-season and NBA Cup games, plus the Play-In, select first- and second-round games, and the Eastern Conference Finals.
Who is on the NBA on Prime crew?
Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady and Eric Collins call play-by-play. Taylor Rooks hosts the studio with Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Udonis Haslem and Kyle Lowry. Stan Van Gundy, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash and Candace Parker are among the analysts.
What is Prime 360?
Amazon's AI replay system. Cameras around the court capture each play, AWS rebuilds it in 3D, and producers can fly a virtual camera through it for live replays and studio analysis.
Can I watch NBA on Prime in India, the UK or Canada?
Canada gets Prime Video NBA games starting this season. Europe gets the Paris and Manchester Global Games. Elsewhere it depends on local rights, so search "NBA" in your Prime Video app or check NBA League Pass.
Where is the NBA Cup final?
Friday, 11 December, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, exclusively on Prime Video.
Is the NBA Finals on Prime Video?
No. Prime's postseason ends with the Eastern Conference Finals.
Sources
- About Amazon, How to watch the 2026–27 NBA season on Prime Video: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/stream-nba-prime-video
- NBA.com, Every NBA game on Prime Video in 2026–27: https://www.nba.com/news/every-nba-game-on-prime-video-in-2026-27
- GeekWire, Amazon's NBA coverage adds Prime 360 AI replays: https://geekwire.com/2026/amazons-nba-coverage-adds-prime-360-ai-replays-that-fly-the-camera-through-the-action/
- Cord Cutters News, Prime Video's NBA schedule: https://cordcuttersnews.com/prime-videos-nba-schedule-features-60-games-including-play-in-nba-cup-more/
- MobileSyrup, NBA on Prime Video Canada: https://mobilesyrup.com/2026/05/27/nba-on-prime-video-streaming-deal-amazon-upfront-2026-toronto/
- Advanced Television, NBA on Prime global audience growth: https://www.advanced-television.com/2026/07/03/nba-on-prime-sees-significant-global-audience-growth/
- About Amazon, NBA and AWS AI partnership: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/nba-aws-cloud-ai-partnership-basketball-innovation
Featured image: Amazon (About Amazon) — Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin and Udonis Haslem on the NBA on Prime set. Source