Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was the lowest rated and least-watched edition of the game

[Shock Defeat]

NBA fans no longer like the product. Too many possessions and it's too easy to score which devalues the joy in watching a bucket go in. It used to be a mini accomplishment to make a basket, now you make a three and chances are the other team is going to hit one right back.

Add to this the fact that no one seems to care all that much about the regular season, and the ASG is already starting off on shaky ground. Bring back East-West, before there would be fans from the West rooting for their conference for pride, and same for the East. Nowadays no fan even cares which team wins the game, you don't even know which player is on which team until 5 mins before the game. Finally, the biggest problem is the players do not give a eff about trying in this game. There is zero defense, zero semblance of real basketball. It's just free drives to the rim or jacking up threes. This is not a good product.

[zeebneeb]

NBA product has record low viewers?


Shocking.


It's a crap product, with zero passion.

The reason people watch sport, is to see the athlete compete, and to overcome. This is the whole purpose behind it. The NBA has lost all of that.

[Birth of the Cool]

Because NBA fans have seen the All-Star the last several years. No one plays with any passion or interest until MAYBE the 2nd half and usually 4th Quarter IF the game is close. The level of competitiveness is less than any pickup game you see at your local courts. Why would anyone waste their time watching that?!?

Anthony Davis & Jayson Tatum's 50+pts record breaking All-Star game points means less than nothing to anyone who really cares about the game. It's met with a big yawn.

It's ironic that the All-Star MVP trophy is named after Kobe Bryant who is considered one of the most competitive players in all of sports. Now his name is tied to an All-Star game that is known for having no passion/competitiveness.

[76Love]

Ya'll are bunch of crybabies

Any negative news about the NBA draws a bunch of posters coming out the woodwork commenting such as this thread

If you don't like the way the NBA is played nowadays, don't watch it

Adam Silver isn't going anywhere anytime soon so ya might as well get used to him

[MrGoat]

Didn't watch it myself. Last time I remember actually being entertained by an All Star game was one time it came down to the final possession. The East was down and LeBron had the ball, Kobe was guarding him and when I say that I mean he was actually guarding him. LeBron passed the ball to a teammate who bricked it and right after the game Kobe gave LeBron a look of scorn that was harsh even for him, he was calling LeBron a bitch with his eyes

[nbanflguy]

If you don't like the way the NBA is played nowadays, don't watch it

We dont... hence the lowest rated and least watched all star game ever

[Spates]

Get rid of corner threes. Force teams to adapt and it'll become more competitive as teams learn on the fly.

[jg77]

Steph is the biggest draw in the NBA. I know RealGM doesn't want to admit it.

[76Love]

If you don't like the way the NBA is played nowadays, don't watch it

We dont... hence the lowest rated and least watched all star game ever

So why are you on a basketball forum that discusses the NBA?

[JB2]

Who gives a damn where the game is actually held. Like are there people actually who will go "oh boy, the All Star game is in LA, I gotta watch it now! I didn't watch it when it was in Cleveland or Salt Lake, but I can't wait to see those three seconds exterior shots of downtown LA and the Hollywood sign!"

Unfortunately there actually are. Anytime you have something in LA or NYC there's the potential for celebrities to be in attendance and having celebrities still can generate more eyeballs/pageclicks then not having celebrities. I imagine it would also be a big deal when(not if) the all-star game goes back to Vegas or if Miami ever wanted to host the game as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they ignore the Bucks bid for the game in '25 just to bring it back to LA. Look at the game's ratings when it's in LA compared to when it's not in LA. I personally wouldn't give it to LA next year but in '25 so they could show off the Intuit Dome when it opens.

If the argument is that a celebrity will be a part of something and that will generate more ratings, fine. Don't see what the market has to do with it though. Celebrity's can be flown in to wherever.

If the argument is that because it's in LA, there will be random celebrities out there that the camera will pan to and therefore more people will watch...that seems far fetched.

Do you really think it’s just about buildings and thee Hollywood sign? Is that the only difference?

How many players, both all stars and other NBAer’s, want to travel to Utah/Cleveland/Indy for the week off to watch/support/participate in the games? How many celebrities or stars from other sports/industries want to do the same? Those types of people and a sense of buzz to the magnitude of the even whether or not you’d like to admit. Hell, a lot of guys this season came in just for the game and got the hell out. You think Ja and Zion would feel more compelled to do the dunk contest in MSG or LA?

What about local/regional coverage in these small markets… do you think they have the reach of NY/LA/other markets to bring eye balls and buzz towards the event? When major markets like LA or NY get press locally, they have a much bigger audience, word spreads, more eye balls, more social media engagement, etc. It’s exactly why every league commissioner would dream of a LA vs NY finals/world series/etc. Also, I think warm weather cities make it a little easier but that’s a different convo.

Fair or not, it’s just the way it is.

[Billy Goat]

The players don’t care about the league or the product so the fans don’t either. Not rocket science.

[GameOver25]

Adam Silver is a joke for the league.

[Catchall]

If some more of the marquee players were playing, like Steph, KD, Zion, etc. I think people would have tuned in. As it stands, the two highest vote getters were Lebron and Giannis. Lebron skipped the 2nd half and Giannis only played 30 seconds. Luka didn't play much either.

Maybe people aren't excited to see Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum have a half-court shooting contest?

[SOA]

Just treat the all star game like the old NBA Jam. Put some hot spots on the court where the point values are different than a regulation game.

But keep the "numbers" a secret until the game starts. That way they can't gameplan for it. And I am sure they can do it.

[nbanflguy]

If you don't like the way the NBA is played nowadays, don't watch it

We dont... hence the lowest rated and least watched all star game ever

So why are you on a basketball forum that discusses the NBA?

Because I just watched the Shaq Documentary on HBO max and made me nostalgic for the NBA I grew up watching and loving. An NBA where the players actually cared

[LAvision]

Silver would be fired if he was the head of any other corporation.

[Slacktard]

First time since I was a kid (and I'm now 45) that I didn't watch even 1 second of the NBA all-star game.

[Nate505]

Unfortunately there actually are. Anytime you have something in LA or NYC there's the potential for celebrities to be in attendance and having celebrities still can generate more eyeballs/pageclicks then not having celebrities. I imagine it would also be a big deal when(not if) the all-star game goes back to Vegas or if Miami ever wanted to host the game as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they ignore the Bucks bid for the game in '25 just to bring it back to LA. Look at the game's ratings when it's in LA compared to when it's not in LA. I personally wouldn't give it to LA next year but in '25 so they could show off the Intuit Dome when it opens.

If the argument is that a celebrity will be a part of something and that will generate more ratings, fine. Don't see what the market has to do with it though. Celebrity's can be flown in to wherever.

If the argument is that because it's in LA, there will be random celebrities out there that the camera will pan to and therefore more people will watch...that seems far fetched.

Do you really think it’s just about buildings and thee Hollywood sign? Is that the only difference?

How many players, both all stars and other NBAer’s, want to travel to Utah/Cleveland/Indy for the week off to watch/support/participate in the games? How many celebrities or stars from other sports/industries want to do the same? Those types of people and a sense of buzz to the magnitude of the even whether or not you’d like to admit. Hell, a lot of guys this season came in just for the game and got the hell out. You think Ja and Zion would feel more compelled to do the dunk contest in MSG or LA?

What about local/regional coverage in these small markets… do you think they have the reach of NY/LA/other markets to bring eye balls and buzz towards the event? When major markets like LA or NY get press locally, they have a much bigger audience, word spreads, more eye balls, more social media engagement, etc. It’s exactly why every league commissioner would dream of a LA vs NY finals/world series/etc. Also, I think warm weather cities make it a little easier but that’s a different convo.

Fair or not, it’s just the way it is.

From a tv standpoint, which is what we're talking about because it's about tv ratings, that's about the only difference it makes. Most people who watch the game couldn't give a flying **** what city it's in. Most of the viewing itself is inside an arena, and basketball arenas themselves aren't draws.

It's possible there could be a tiny bump from buzz in a bigger city than a smaller one due to the number of people it has, but I doubt it amounts to much. And I would agree that stars from other sports or industries would rather go to LA or Miami than Cleveland or Salt Lake, but unless they are participating in the event itself, they just don't drive much in terms of ratings.

For the players themselves, they seem just as fine to avoid anything they can be it in any city. Ja or Zion are not going to feel more compelled to do the dunk contest in LA compared to anywhere else. The proof is that no big stars have done the dunk contest in decades now, and the event has been in large markets. The last time the dunk contest was in LA the big star was rookie Donovan Mitchell, who wasn't a big star at the time. Then it was such NBA heavyweights as Larry Nance Jr, Dennis Smith Jr, and Victor Oladipo. Granted Oladipo looks like a massive star compared to the group the last few years, but he hardly takes us back to the days when Dominique and Jordan were going at it.

[Statlanta]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2142486-nba-reportedly-considering-extending-length-of-all-star-break

when the players asked for a longer break after All-Star Weekend you know the era of rest has gone off the deep end.

[Billy Goat]

NBA product has record low viewers?


Shocking.


It's a crap product, with zero passion.

The reason people watch sport, is to see the athlete compete, and to overcome. This is the whole purpose behind it. The NBA has lost all of that.

A generation of player that grew up with AAU coupled with unlimited money coming in = a broken league. The China element is huge in this too. TV ratings don’t matter. The fan loses.