We’ve already heard from analysts that the absence of LeBron James from the NBA playoffs has led to a drop in ratings.But for the first time on Tuesday, we heard about how the NBA feels about the drop in ratings from the highest level of the league.
During an interview with Craig Melvin of NBC’s TODAY, NBA commissioner Adam Silver stood by the common assertion that LeBron’s move to the Western Conference has led to a slip in ratings since James is no longer playing in the early window.
“Face it, LeBron is one of the biggest stars in the world, and he also played in the East,” he said towards the end of the interview. “And so, the reason I look a little bit tired is a lot of our games are in the West, and it’s late at night. And I recognize most people choose to go to sleep at a reasonable time. And so, from a rating standpoint, not having LeBron in the playoffs, not having him in the East, has clearly impacted ratings.”
Although it ended in a sweep, the Western Conference ratings were much higher than the previous time ESPN had the West Finals. But the ratings during the regular season also saw a sizable drop, which most again attributed to LeBron’s first season outside of the Eastern Conference.
Silver also floated the idea of potentially starting Western Conference games earlier so that the bigger television markets in the Eastern U.S. would be able to watch the league’s best players and teams.
