LeBron Effect: NBA to start games earlier for nationally televised match-ups

The “LeBron Effect” is something that people have used to refer to the media, teams he’s been on and even the NBA as a whole. Now, that term extends to the effect LeBron has on the NBA’s schedule makers after his move to the Western Conference.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Monday morning that the NBA has made changes to their national television schedules, starting games earlier so that West Coast games will start at 10 p.m. EST instead of 10:30 EST, as they’ve done for decades.

Sources: Earlier times for national TV doubleheaders this season: 22 of ESPN’s 36 doubleheaders and 12 of TNT’s 31 doubleheaders to start at 7:30/10 PM ET or 7/9:30 PM ET instead of 8/10:30 PM.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 12, 2019

And on the whole, the Lakers have seen the among of 7:30 tip-offs drop from 19 last season to just 10, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Sources: The NBA has reduced number of LA Lakers games with 10:30 pm ET start time from 19 to 10. The Warriors were reduced from 18 to 11.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 12, 2019

NBA commissioner Adam Silver identified LeBron’s move to the Western Conference as a reason that ratings dipped during the regular season last year. These changes are clearly a reaction to last year’s slipping numbers, but it will be interesting to see if changing the times by 30 minutes will have that much of an effect.

The full NBA schedule is set to be released later today.