After 14 years in the NBA, Draymond Green knows what brings fans to the TV: star power. Players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry bring it to every game they play, and according to Green, fans are far quicker to tune in to a Finals when those names are involved.
Green made the point while previewing the WNBA Finals with WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes. The series tips off on Oct. 17, with the Golden State Valkyries, the Warriors’ sister franchise, hosting the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center. When the conversation turned to why fans should tune in, Green explained that the question rarely comes up when big names are involved, whether in the WNBA or the NBA.
“I don’t think people say it as much when stars are involved,” Green said. “For instance, when it’s Steph Curry against LeBron James, I think people are (watching).”
Green’s point was not that coverage is unfairly skewed, but that star power drives viewership across all leagues.
The numbers back him up. On Christmas Day 2024, the Lakers and Warriors drew an average of 7.76 million viewers, peaking at 8.32 million. The NBA called it the most-watched regular-season game in five years.
This made it the most-watched NBA regular-season game in five years at that point in time. That’s not all, back in 2016, LeBron James and Green’s teammate, Stephen Curry, had crossed paths while James was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The biggest example came in 2016, when Curry and James met in the NBA Finals with James still in Cleveland. The Cavaliers came back from a 3–1 deficit to win the title, and Game 7 averaged roughly 31 million viewers in the U.S. That made it the third-most-watched NBA game ever, capping the most-watched Finals since 1998.
The logic is simple. Fans love basketball, but more than that, they love seeing their favorite stars play and hopefully win.
Draymond Green further explained that when OKC played against the Pacers in the 2025 Finals, fans may have been sceptical. They may have asked themselves why they should watch these finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just won MVP, but he was still “blossoming” into the kind of household name Curry and James already were. He went on to win Finals MVP.
However, when it comes to stars of the league, the question finds its own answer.
“So, I think it’s more when the stars are involved as opposed to when they aren’t,” Green said. “Like you may get that question in the NBA as opposed to like if it’s LeBron and Steph, that’s why they watching.”
Both stars now play in different conferences. James is preparing for his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Joel Embiid. Curry, meanwhile, is facing a tougher test of how far star power can carry a team.
Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with an undisclosed health issue, and there’s no timeline for his return. Jimmy Butler is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last season and will miss at least the start of this one. Al Horford was held out of preseason action with a minor knee contusion, which the team called precautionary.
That means younger players like Charles Bassey and Yaxel Lendeborg will have to take the lead to help Steph Curry deliver. After all, he too suffers from runner’s knee and can’t carry the whole team’s weight alone realistically.
Coach Steve Kerr recently mentioned that the team isn’t close to where it wants to be ahead of the regular season. However, little time is left for the Warriors. The clock is ticking, and Curry must do all he can to reignite the fire in the team after the recent slew of injuries.