The 2023 NBA All-Star Game Hit A Record-Low In Ratings, Down 29% From Last Season

Team Giannis took home the 184-175 victory vs Team LeBron this past Sunday in the 72nd annual all-star game. Players and coaches around the league were displeased with the effort level of certain players who participated. Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and Boston Celtic’s two-time all-star Jaylen Brown voiced their opinions publicly. The numbers are now public on the ratings for the all-star game and they hit an all-time low this season. 

This years all-star game was aired on TNT for the traditional broadcast and also on TBS for a special edition with the Inside the NBA on TNT crew. Star players like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson were all ruled out before the games start. On top of that, both team captains played limited minutes in the all-star game due to injury as well.

It didn’t help that all-star Saturday night was extremely underwhelming and fans might not have wanted to tune in on Sunday. Regardless, the league knows they need to work on this for next season and find a way to get the fans engaged.

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

• Ratings declined 29% and viewership 27% from last year’s All-Star Game

• The record-low audience places the NBA All-Star Game well behind this year’s NFL Pro Bowl

•… https://t.co/7vjNs9pe8B pic.twitter.com/sZ2jJXdXur

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 22, 2023

The NBA needs to figure out a plan to get viewership up for next year’s all-star festivities

This year’s all-star game averaged a combined 2.2 rating and 4.59 million viewers. Last year the 2022 all-star game averaged a 3.1 (a previous record-low) and 6.28 million viewers. Ratings were down 29 percent and viewership was down 27 percent.

Stat’s from Sports Media Watch say that this was the single-biggest decline for the all-star game since 2000. The 2023 NBA all-star game drew less viewers than the MLB all-star game (7.51 million) and this year’s NFL pro bowl game (6.28).

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone called it the “worst basketball game ever played” and there were plenty who agreed with him. The effort level from some of the players was honestly pathetic and the broadcasters couldn’t help but mention it all game.

They kept saying “Do they know they they’re playing for charity right now?”. Team Giannis clearly gave more of an effort than Team LeBron did and that’s why the got the win. The real issue is how the league is going to fix ratings for the all-star game next season.