NBA viewership continues to face a downward trend, and the league is still searching for a new star capable of generating TV ratings and fan engagement comparable to what Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant have historically drawn.
This trio of superstar players demonstrated their immense popularity during the Paris Olympics, when they joined forces with Team USA.
Their appearance in the gold medal game attracted the largest audience for an Olympic men’s basketball game since 1996, underscoring their unmatched appeal among American viewers.
By contrast, rising talents like Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker have yet to captivate audiences to the same extent.
Despite their impressive skill and potential, their relatively limited achievements – especially in terms of championships – have prevented them from reaching the same viewership impact.
International stars like Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, despite achieving significant success and MVP honors, also haven’t drawn U.S. audiences in the same way as Curry, James, and Durant.
While these international players have established themselves as elite talents in the NBA, they still lack the widespread American fanbase of the league’s established superstars.
As the NBA looks to the future, it faces the challenge of finding new faces capable of capturing the same level of national attention, particularly as its biggest stars inch closer to retirement.
NBA viewership continues to decline, and the league has yet to find the next star capable of drawing numbers similar to Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, per @FOS
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 7, 2024
“The three stars showed their viewership pull when they teamed up with Team USA in the summer during the… pic.twitter.com/wBZ7iBz6Su
