When the NBA in-season tournament was first announced many wrote it off as a pointless competition that no real NBA stars would participate in. But as it turns out, people loved the heck out of it.
According to ESPN via NBA insider Mike Vorkunov, the tournament game averaged 4.58 million viewers across ABC and ESPN. Per the announcement, it was the most-watch NBA game not on Christmas since February 2018.
“The In-Season Tournament title game averaged 4.58 million viewers across ABC and ESPN2, the network says. NBA says it’s the most-watched NBA game not on Christmas since Feb. 2018,” Vorkunov wrote.
The NBA In-Season Tournament championship game saw LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers knock off the Indiana Pacers in a 123-108 win. LeBron was named tournament MVP.
The In-Season Tournament title game averaged 4.58 million viewers across ABC and ESPN2, the network says. NBA says it’s the most-watched NBA game not on Christmas since Feb. 2018.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) December 12, 2023
Some fans were unimpressed, pointing out that the NFL and college football remain king at this time of year. Others pointed out that it was the only real sports game on television at the time, so it didn’t have to compete with anything.
But numbers are numbers and the rating that the in-season tournament put up will likely prove sustaining for quite a long time.
Did you tune in for the in-season tournament this year?