When the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals a couple of weeks ago, a lot of basketball fans sighed in disappointment, as it meant the league’s championship series would have a matchup that was unattractive to the public at large.
Before that, there was the possibility of a Lakers-Celtics final, which would’ve garnered very high ratings, not to mention lots of revenue for the league.
Still, it was a successful postseason for the league in at least one metric, as it had the most video views ever during the playoffs.
In addition, the NBA channel was the most-viewed brand on Twitter during the championship series.
.@NBA Social garnered the most video views ever during an NBA Playoffs (8 BILLION).@NBA on Twitter was the most-viewed brand on the platform during the 2023 NBA Finals.https://t.co/anA37jBf80 pic.twitter.com/FbHgVquV47
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 13, 2023
In 2020, when the league suspended, then resumed its season inside of the Walt Disney World Resort bubble, ratings fell, and some surmised it was because the league took a stance on the social justice issues that were prominent at the time.
There was a concern that the NBA’s activism had permanently turned off some fans who didn’t support the movement.
But those fears are gone now.
The NBA’s product is beautiful these days, as it features an up-tempo, team-oriented brand of basketball that has fused established stars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant with younger ones such as newly-minted Finals MVP Nikola Jokic.
In addition, there is a potential generational talent who is about to enter the league by the name of Victor Wembanyama, who is poised to make the San Antonio Spurs relevant again.
Everyone will be watching next summer to see if the world champion Nuggets can start to establish the foundation for a dynasty, or if there will be yet another new champion next June.
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