# ESPN NBA Scoreboard Scraper (`parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes NBA game data from the ESPN scoreboard API by date or season. Each row returns team names, scores, game status, period, clock, and broadcast channel.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Sports, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $7.69 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### ESPN NBA Scoreboard Scraper

**Scrape NBA scoreboard data from ESPN for any date or season, up to a million games per run.** Each game comes with teams, scores, status, and venue details. No API key or login. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

ESPN's official API requires registration and rate limits. This actor reads the public NBA scoreboard directly, filtered by date or season, and returns each game in one fixed schema. It is built for anyone who needs NBA scores without the setup.

| Who uses it | What they scrape ESPN for |
|---|---|
| Sports bettors | Checking final scores and game statuses to settle bets |
| Fantasy basketball players | Pulling daily results to update player performance |
| Sports journalists | Gathering game results for recaps and analysis |
| Data analysts | Building historical NBA datasets for trend analysis |

### What it does

This Actor collects NBA games from the ESPN scoreboard for a given date or season, and returns each game as a flat row with teams, scores, status, and venue.

- 📅 **Date filter:** pass a specific date in YYYYMMDD format to get that day's games.
- 🏀 **Season filter:** pass a season year to get all games in that season.
- 🔢 **Max items:** limit the number of games returned, from 1 to 1,000,000.
- 📊 **Flat output:** each game is one row with teams, scores, status, and venue.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with ESPN data

**📈 Track daily NBA results.**

A sports bettor runs the actor each morning with yesterday's date to get final scores and statuses for settling bets.

**📊 Build a historical dataset.**

A data analyst runs the actor for multiple seasons to collect game results for trend analysis and modeling.

**📰 Power a sports news site.**

A journalist uses the actor to pull game results for recaps and updates on their website.

**🏀 Update fantasy league stats.**

A fantasy basketball commissioner runs the actor daily to get scores and update player performance in their league.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Scrape ESPN NBA scoreboard data without registration or rate limits. |
| **Flexible filters** | Get games by specific date or entire season. |
| **Scalable** | Collect up to 1,000,000 games per run for paid users. |
| **Structured output** | Each game is a flat row ready for CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |

### How it compares

This actor focuses on NBA scoreboard data from ESPN, while the competitors below cover multiple sports or offer additional data types.

| Feature | ParseForge | ESPN MCP Server | ESPN Sports Scores & Schedules | ESPN Sports Scraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA scoreboard data | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Filter by date | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Filter by season | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| No API key required | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple sports coverage | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server integration | No | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor with an optional date or season, and set a maximum number of games to return. Filters are sent directly to the ESPN scoreboard so only matching games are collected. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0085 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.85 |
| 1,000 results | $8.50 |
| 10,000 results | $85.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [ESPN NBA Scoreboard Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to ESPN through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Make sure the date is in YYYYMMDD format and the season year is correct. Also check that maxItems is set to at least 1.

**Why am I limited to 10 games?**

Free users are limited to 10 games per run. Upgrade to a paid Apify plan to increase the limit up to 1,000,000.

**Can I get data for a date range?**

Currently, the actor supports a single date or a full season. For a date range, run the actor multiple times with different dates.

**The output is missing some fields.**

The actor returns all fields available from the ESPN scoreboard. If a field is missing, it may not be present for that game.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need an ESPN API key? | No. This actor scrapes the public ESPN scoreboard directly, so no API key or registration is required. |
| Can I get games for a specific date? | Yes. Use the 'dates' input field with a date in YYYYMMDD format, like 20240115 for January 15, 2024. |
| Can I get all games for a season? | Yes. Use the 'season' input field with the season year, like 2023 for the 2023-24 NBA season. |
| What is the maximum number of games I can scrape? | Free users are limited to 10 games per run. Paid users can collect up to 1,000,000 games. |
| What data is returned for each game? | Each game row includes teams, scores, game status, and venue details. The exact fields are shown in the sample output. |
| Can I export the data to CSV or JSON? | Yes. Apify supports exporting results to CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML formats. |
| Does this actor work for other sports? | No, this actor is specifically for NBA scoreboard data from ESPN. For other sports, check other ESPN scrapers on Apify. |
| Is the data live? | The actor scrapes the current ESPN scoreboard at the time of the run, so it reflects the latest available data. |
| Can I schedule this actor to run daily? | Yes, you can set up a schedule in Apify to run the actor automatically at your preferred time. |
| What if I get no results? | Check that your date or season is valid and that games exist for that period. Also ensure you haven't set maxItems too low. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ESPN, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Free users are limited to 10 NBA games (preview). Paid users can collect up to 1,000,000.

## `season` (type: `integer`):

Optional season year. Defaults to current season.

## `dates` (type: `string`):

Optional specific date in YYYYMMDD format.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/espn-nba-scoreboard-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/0sz7vKQlxqxXlqAHa/builds/dwHXwzPlHAPXVNG6p/openapi.json