Inside the NBA’s new home doesn’t seem to align with the Big Aristotle’s opinion. Despite the NBA’s immense popularity among fans, the league has hit a rough patch, with ratings taking a noticeable dip. Prime time games on ESPN saw a double-digit percentage decline, while TNT experienced a minor 3% drop. Among the various reasons cited, the over-reliance of teams on three-point shooting, which is not as attractive as dunks, has been called out as a key reason by Shaquille O’Neal. However, both the NBA commissioner and ESPN seem to think otherwise.

An ESPN spokesperson attributed the rating slump to stiff “competition this year with such things as the election cycle and college football and a rash of injuries to the biggest stars. We remain positive for our full season outlook,” as per Front Office Sport. It is believed that this might have contributed to the overall drop in television viewership during the opening weeks, which NBA commissioner Adam Silver also claimed. Despite a promising start to the 2024-25 season, NBA viewership on ESPN has shockingly dropped by 28%. 

This comes just weeks after the league secured a historic $77 billion broadcasting deal with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC. Meanwhile, not only fans but also NBA veterans and legends have voiced their concerns over the issue with the product.

Shaquille O’Neal firmly believes that the three-point shooting is at the heart of the NBA’s struggles and it must be changed to improve the ratings. “I have a theory. It’s down because we’re looking at the same thing. Everybody’s running the same plays. At the damn top of the key, dribble handoff,” O’Neal had said on The Big Podcast, as per the same source.

Unlike O’Neal and many others, though, Silver seems fine with the NBA’s three-point game. As previously stated, he believes the ratings dip is due to tough competition, such as the World Series, which garnered tremendous attention, not to mention the presidential elections.

Adam Silver doesn’t agree with Shaquille O’Neal 

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the 3-point shot,” Silver said during his appearance at Paley Center for Media‘s International Council Summit. 

He added, “This year, we were up against the World Series, Dodgers-Yankees, two very attractive teams. They brought in a big audience. You had a presidential election which was commanding an enormous amount of attention. So, I don’t think it has anything whatsoever to do with the style of play on the floor.”

The NBA’s average for three-pointers per game has surged from 18.1 to 37 in recent years. Not only has three-point shooting evolved, but ratings also saw an upward trend, with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors spearheading a new era. The Boston Celtics, who clinched the 2024 championship, recorded a league-high 51.2 three-pointers in the 2023-34 season. It seems pointing a single factor behind the fluctuations in ratings remains challenging in the league.

Player injuries have also added to the uncertainty as mentioned before by ESPN, leaving fans wondering if their favorite stars will be in action on game night. Last season’s Celtics vs. New York Knicks opener drew 2.55 million viewers, whereas this year’s Bucks vs. 76ers matchup saw only 1.71 million. As seen, hope lingers for a potential spike in viewership during the Christmas games, but only time will tell.