Down 24%.
NBA fanboys like Bill Simmons took a month-long victory lap because the NBA playoffs were up year over year. However, as we cautioned the fanboys asking OutKick for comment, the 2025 postseason was up only 2% from 2024. Such a minimal change can be erased by one bad series or stretch – like the Western Conference Finals.
On Tuesday, Game 1 of the Thunder-Timberwolves series drew just 5.36 million viewers across several ESPN networks, marking a year-over-year decline of 24%.
Excluding the out-of-schedule COVID playoffs–to which the NBA doesn’t compare ratings–it was the least-watched Conference Finals opener since 2013.
Rough.
Now, NBA apologist Ryen Russillo will claim that Oklahoma City and Minnesota are two small-market teams. That is correct. But if the NBA can’t capitalize on those two markets, the league has real concerns moving forward.
The Thunder and Wolves are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, respectively, two of the five best players in the sport.
In fact, ESPN has been clamoring for Edwards to take the mantle as “face of the league.” On Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins predicted he would. For a preferred future “face of the league,” Edwards sure lacks one chief qualification for such a title: the ability to draw TV ratings.
This is the second straight season Minnesota has made it to the Western Conference Finals. Based on the Thunder’s roster and youth, this likely won’t be their last trip either.
LeBron James and Steph Curry are well past their primes. The league is never going to get behind foreign-born white players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. Therefore, the NBA needs Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander to turn into mainstream attractions, sooner rather than later.
The NBA finds itself in a similar position as the WWE did in 2016 when John Cena moved to a part-time schedule. The difference in drawing power between Cena and the new stars was significant. The difference between LeBron/Steph and Edwards/SGA/Tatum is even more significant.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 20: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder hdrives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Game One of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Despite the celebration from blogs like Awful Announcing, the NBA’s minimal increase during the first two rounds was driven almost entirely by the NBA giving ABC nearly the entire Lakers’ first-round series and the Knicks’ upset of the Celtics in Round 2.
And while the Knicks-Pacers series in the East should rate better, Indiana is up 1-0. A Pacers-Thunder Finals could be disastrous in terms of viewership.
Perhaps the NBA is in a stronger position than in 2020, when it painted “Black Lives Matter” on the court. However, the league’s overall popularity is at its lowest point in 25 years. Its inability to establish new stars is emblematic of that.
So, forgive us for not celebrating the NBA’s 2% – two percent! – increase the past few weeks. For context, other sports leagues have seen recent increases of double digits.
Still, as we promised Bill Simmons, we will continue to monitor the postseason ratings. Check back Friday to see how Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals turned out.
