The 2023 NBA All-Star game held in Salt Lake City saw a 32 percent drop in ratings from last year – 5.4 million viewers to 3.7 million viewers.
“Viewership for the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City saw a significant drop from the previous two years,” noted Fox News. “According to Nielsen Media Research, the game on TNT had a total audience of 3.7 million, down 32 percent from the year before when the total audience was just over 5.4 million.”
The NBA All-Star Game also saw a 28 percent drop in ratings for the much-coveted 25-54 demographic, making this year’s game the smallest audience on record.
Jayson Tatum, #0 of the Boston Celtics, holds The Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy after the 2023 NBA All-Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Some of the blame for this year’s dismal ratings have been blamed on the fact that the players and coaches appeared to be putting in little effort beyond making it a slam dunk contest and a cheap talent show. In the end, Team Giannis [Antetokounmpo] won the game with a score of 184-175.
Team Lebron [James] coach Michael Malone, head coach of the Denver Nuggets, called it the “worst basketball game ever played.”
“I don’t know if you can fix it,” Malone said after the game. “I give Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, those guys were competing. Joel was imploring some of the guys to play harder, to try and get some defense in. But no one got hurt. They put on a show for the fans, but that is a tough game to sit through, I’m not going to lie.”
Boston Celtic guard Jaylen Brown also expressed his dismay with how the game unfolded.
“That wasn’t basketball,” Brown said. “That was just highlights and layups and jump shots. Probably just two foul calls the entire game. For me, I’m sure people would like to see a little bit more than what we displayed. But I guess that’s the format of what we’ve been doing, and I’m not sure how to change it.”
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believed the All-Star Game could be improved if the players had more incentive.
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts during the first half in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“Money talks, so the more incentives, I think guys will take it more seriously,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “With that being said, it was super fun the way it is now, and I have no complaints. I don’t necessarily think it needs to be fixed, but if they want that I think there for sure is a way.”
The NFL pro-bowl has suffered a similar drop in enthusiasm due to the fact that players rarely show up to take the game seriously in fear that it could cause a career-changing injury.
Aside from the malaise over the NBA All-Star Game, as Breitbart News has chronicled on several occasions, the NBA as a whole has seen a steady drop in ratings over the years. In 2022, for instance, NFL preseason games averaged more viewers than every NBA 2021 Christmas game.
“A couple of points need to be stressed: First, the NFL preseason, especially the third preseason game, is a glorified scrimmage with no importance attached to it,” Breitbart News noted. “In contrast, next to the NBA Playoffs, Christmas Day is the most important day on the NBA calendar. What’s also noteworthy is that even a matchup between LeBron James’ Lakers and James Harden’s Nets (the two biggest stars in the game) didn’t beat out the Lions-Steelers.”
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