The 2025 NBA Finals averaged 10.27 million viewers, marking the lowest-rated Finals since the Spurs vs. Cavaliers drew just 9.29 million viewers in 2007 (excluding the COVID years).
The Thunder vs. Pacers series was on pace to be the least-watched Finals on record, with an average of just 9.25 million after six games — until Game 7 on Sunday hit with 16.4 million viewers.
But while the NBA and its fanboys in the media celebrate the 74% increase between Game 6 and Game 7, don't let the spin fool you. The 2025 Finals were a ratings disaster, and Game 7's average isn't as impressive as it seems.
The last time an NBA Finals series reached seven games was in 2016, when 31 million viewers tuned in to the Cavs-Warriors finale. In 2013, Game 7 of the Heat-Spurs NBA Finals drew over 26 million viewers.
By all historical standards, 16 million viewers for a Game 7 of the NBA Finals is objectively disappointing.
Moreover, Nielsen adjusted its measurement system to include out-of-home viewing in 2019. Consequently, nearly every other sport is seeing record highs on television--including the NFL, MLB, college football and the WNBA.
The NBA is the exception.
Sure, the interest in the series was hindered by featuring two small-market franchises without much mainstream buzz. However, the prevailing narrative coming out of The Finals is how the Oklahoma City Thunder are positioned to be a dynasty. Whether that's true or not, small-market teams like the Thunder and Timberwolves are not going away. The NBA best learn how to market teams outside of Los Angeles, Golden State and Boston sooner rather than later.
But the NBA just signed an 11-year, $76 billion broadcast deal with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC!
Calm down.
The question is not whether the NBA is about to close shop. The question is whether the NBA has peaked and its new broadcast partners, Amazon and NBC, will quickly experience buyer's remorse.
In fact, according to The Wall Street Journal, some NBC executives already believe their investment in the NBA was a poor decision.
Moving forward, the NBA has several pressing issues to address. Finding a true successor to LeBron James, who turns 41 in December, is chief among them.
No league in America is more dependent on a face of the league than the NBA, and yet it's the only league in America without one.
The NFL has Patrick Mahomes. MLB has Shohei Ohtani. The WNBA has Caitlin Clark.
The NBA would like Anthony Edwards to be that guy. Unfortunately, to this point, he's just not that guy. Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the clear two best players in the NBA. However, neither player is American-born nor possesses the most riveting style of play. (The foul-baiting, it's awful.) The same issues exist for Victor Wembanyama.
Perhaps incoming rookie Cooper Flagg is the answer. Maybe. It's far too early. And while he's promising, he isn't the next LeBron James or Magic Johnson.
So, that leaves the NBA with a lot of questions coming off one of the worst-rated Finals in its history. Put simply, the NBA is celebrating more publicly than privately after Game 7.
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