“Fans don’t love LeBron James like they loved Michael Jordan!”: NBA averages 4.05 million viewers on average during the opening week, the highest in a decade

Jeet Pukhrambam | 21/04/2022
"Fans don't love LeBron James like they loved Michael Jordan!": NBA averages 4.05 million viewers on average during the opening week, the highest in a decade

LeBron James is not in the playoffs and contrary to what fans might believe, the NBA is witnessing a surge in viewership numbers. 

It may be a shocking thing for any sport to witness a rise in numbers without their leading athlete, for the NBA that dystopia is reality.

LeBron James is out of the playoffs and despite the biggest star in the NBA missing a run for the championship, viewership numbers have never been better.

The recent game 1 between the Celtics and the Nets was the most-watched first-round game in over 6 years. That sort of change is unheralded when your sport’s greatest player is not playing.

Also read: “Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are the 2 most skilled players of all time!”: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade leave out Michael Jordan as the pot stirs

LeBron James may be on vacation but the NBA isn’t!

The King is unwinding after a tough season. He may have posted some of the best numbers ever seen from a veteran but his untimely exit means the NBA can focus on the post-season without any drama.

This is the first season in four years where the viewership numbers have been great. The lack of LeBron means that the media and everyone else can focus on the more important thing, basketball.

Of late, LeBron has managed to split the NBA into those that support him and those that hate him.

LBJ manages to divide fans and opinionize every storyline during the playoffs. The fans and the media often put the microscope on him. Taking away the main narrative of the playoffs, the championship.

This year, without LBJ, viewership numbers have skyrocketed. 4.05 million viewers on average across the opening weekend. That is the highest since 2011!

The league looks like it does not need LeBron to continue climbing. Next season will be the true indicator as the King welcomes his 20th season, and perhaps one of his last.

Also read: “2018 LeBron James was terminating s*#&!!!”: How the King ended the Celtics’ 37-0 when 2-0 up in a playoff series

 

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
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About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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