BA

Balldontlie

Free NBA stats API loved by developers

8.1 / 10Very GoodVerified
Starting PriceFree
Free TierYes
Live DataNo
WebSocketNo
Commercial UseYes

Overview

Balldontlie is a popular developer-friendly NBA statistics API providing access to players, teams, games, seasons, stats, and advanced analytics. Known for its simple REST interface and generous free tier, it has become a go-to choice for hobbyists, students, and indie developers building basketball applications, dashboards, and fantasy tools. The API covers regular season and playoff data with career and season-level player statistics.

Pros

  • Generous free tier
  • Simple and clean REST API
  • Great documentation
  • Active developer community
  • Fast response times
  • Affordable paid tiers

Cons

  • NBA-only coverage
  • No live or real-time data
  • No WebSocket streaming
  • No odds or betting data
  • No GraphQL support

Best For

Hobby projectsStudent projectsNBA dashboardsFantasy basketball helpersLearning API development

Not Ideal For

Multi-sport applicationsLive betting platformsReal-time score appsEnterprise production systems

Specifications

REST APIYes
GraphQLNo
WebSocketNo
WebhooksNo
OpenAPI SpecYes
Player StatsYes
Team StatsYes
Odds DataNo
Historical Data1991-92 season onward for NBA games and player stats
Request Limits120 requests/minute (free), up to 5,000/minute (Mega)
Commercial UseYes
RedistributionNo
White LabelNo

SDKs

Node.jsPythonRuby

Leagues

NBAWNBANCAA Basketball
Last verified: 2026-08-15

Our Verdict

8.1/ 10

Balldontlie is a solid choice for hobby projects and student projects, with an overall score of 8.1/10. While it performs well in most areas, consider nba-only coverage when making your decision.

Editorial: 8.2/10Benchmark: 8.0/10How we score →
Data verified: 2026-08-15
Pricing checked Coverage checked Docs checked

Coverage

Sports Supported

Basketball
Live DataNo
Historical Data1991-92 season onward for NBA games and player stats
Player StatsYes
Team StatsYes
Odds DataNo

Leagues & Competitions

NBAWNBANCAA Basketball

3 leagues and competitions covered

Developer Experience

API Paradigms

REST
GraphQL
WebSocket
Webhooks

SDKs

Node.jsPythonRuby

Documentation

Commercial Terms

Commercial use
Redistribution
White-label
Rate limit: 120 requests/minute (free), up to 5,000/minute (Mega)

Pricing Plans

Free

Free

120/minute

  • All NBA endpoints
  • Player and team stats
  • Game data
  • Community support

Pro

$19.99/month

1,000/minute

  • Higher rate limits
  • Advanced stats
  • Priority support
  • Commercial use

Mega

$49.99/month

5,000/minute

  • Highest rate limits
  • All endpoints
  • Dedicated support
  • SLA guarantee