Lakers, 76ers, Spurs lead NBA in national TV appearances

Want to know which teams the NBA believes people want to watch? The national television schedule is usually a pretty good place to start.

The Lakers, 76ers and Spurs lead the league with 34 national TV appearances apiece during the 2026-27 season, with games again spread across NBC, ESPN, ABC, Prime Video and Peacock.

Los Angeles being there requires little explanation. The Lakers are the Lakers, Luka Doncic is the reigning scoring champion, and national television has basically been part of the franchise’s birthright.

Philadelphia is a different story. The Sixers have become appointment television after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a roster that already included Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

San Antonio’s rise might be the most telling. Victor Wembanyama has become one of the league’s marquee attractions, and the Spurs are coming off a trip to the 2026 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Knicks.

Speaking of the defending champions, New York is fourth with 33 appearances. Oklahoma City gets 30, while Denver and Golden State have 28 each.

The Cavaliers, coming off an Eastern Conference finals appearance, rank 14th with 17 national games. Detroit, which won 60 games last season, gets 19.

Then there’s the other end. Brooklyn, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans and Sacramento will make just two national TV appearances apiece. Yes, two.

So if you’re wondering which teams the networks believe will drive eyeballs, there’s your answer.

The standings eventually tell us who’s best. The television schedule tells us who’s famous.