# BALLDONTLIE

> Unified REST API for scores, box scores, stats, odds and player props across 20+ leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, soccer, tennis, golf, F1, MMA, esports), plus webhooks and an MCP server.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/ball-dont-lie/  
Last checked: 2026-11-03  
SportDex Score: 79/100 (rank 2; popularity 74, community 81, transparency 100, developer experience 62)

## Facts
- Type: Sports data API
- Website: https://www.balldontlie.io
- Documentation: https://www.balldontlie.io/docs/
- Pricing page: https://www.balldontlie.io/#pricing
- Sports: Basketball, American football, Baseball, Ice hockey, Football (soccer), Tennis, Golf, Formula 1, MMA, Esports
- Data types: Historical data, Odds, Play-by-play, Player props, Player stats, Live scores, Team stats
- Protocols: REST, Webhooks
- Delivery: Webhooks + polling
- Live / in-play: yes
- Free tier: yes; 2-day trial
- Cheapest public paid plan: $9.99/mo
- Key competitions: NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, Champions League, Formula 1
- Commercial use: Allowed
- Betting use: Allowed
- Redistribution: Allowed
- Authentication: api key

## Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5 / minute | 1 sport, basic data, community support |
| All-Star | $9.99/mo | 60 / minute | Per sport; extended data, email support |
| GOAT | $39.99/mo | 600 / minute | Per sport; full data access |
| All-Access | $299.99/mo | 600 / minute | All 20+ sports, webhooks 500K/mo, Lab and StoryStats included |

## Who it is for

Best for: Developers building sports apps, dashboards or AI-assisted projects who want stats, box scores and odds for many leagues from one REST API with a free entry plan.

Not ideal for: Companies that want to offer a competing sports-data API or feed built on its data, which the terms forbid.

Use cases: Live scoreboards; Box score and stats dashboards; Odds comparison across sportsbooks; Webhook-driven game alerts

Limitations:
- Free plan is limited to one sport and 5 requests per minute
- Paid tiers below All-Access are priced per sport
- Webhooks are on the top All-Access plan
- Terms bar substitutes for the BALLDONTLIE API

## Quick answers

**What is BALLDONTLIE best for?** Developers building sports apps, dashboards or AI-assisted projects who want stats, box scores and odds for many leagues from one REST API with a free entry plan. Not ideal for: Companies that want to offer a competing sports-data API or feed built on its data, which the terms forbid.

**How much does BALLDONTLIE cost?** The cheapest public paid plan of BALLDONTLIE is $9.99/mo. Listed plans: All-Star $9.99/mo; GOAT $39.99/mo; All-Access $299.99/mo.

**Does BALLDONTLIE have a free tier?** Yes. BALLDONTLIE lists a free plan called "Free" (5 requests per minute).

**What does BALLDONTLIE cover?** BALLDONTLIE is a sports data api. Its sports: Basketball, American football, Baseball, Ice hockey, Football (soccer), Tennis, Golf, Formula 1 and 2 more; data: Historical data, Odds, Play-by-play, Player props, Player stats, Live scores, Team stats. Live / in-play data is offered.

**Does BALLDONTLIE have a WebSocket or streaming API?** No streaming is listed. BALLDONTLIE delivers data by REST, Webhooks.

**Can I use BALLDONTLIE data commercially or for betting?** According to the public terms of BALLDONTLIE — commercial use: allowed; betting products: allowed; redistribution: allowed.

**What do developers say about BALLDONTLIE?** Long-popular free NBA stats API, now covering NBA, NFL, MLB and EPL with a free tier and paid keys. Beginners use it for tutorials, React projects and portfolio apps; betting and fantasy builders pair it with odds feeds. Recommended as an alternative to nba_api and API-Sports. Little discussion of reliability or pricing.

**What are the alternatives to BALLDONTLIE?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: SportsDataIO, TheRundown, Entity Sport, Sportrix, API-Sports / API-Football.

## What developers say

Long-popular free NBA stats API, now covering NBA, NFL, MLB and EPL with a free tier and paid keys. Beginners use it for tutorials, React projects and portfolio apps; betting and fantasy builders pair it with odds feeds. Recommended as an alternative to nba_api and API-Sports. Little discussion of reliability or pricing.

Praised for: Free tier and easy start for learners; Simple REST endpoints with decades of NBA history; Widely used in tutorials and MCP servers; Expanded beyond NBA to NFL, MLB, EPL

Complaints: Free tier limited to subset of endpoints; CORS issues for browser apps

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-03. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/