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LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two of the greatest players of all time.
The ongoing NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks have delivered the highest viewership since the 1998 Finals — the last time the G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan battled for the championship. The news essentially confirms that LeBron James — who made 10 trips to the NBA Finals between 2007 and 2020 — was never as big a needle mover as Jordan.
Through the first four games, the 2026 NBA Finals have averaged 19.6M viewers, up 116% from last year’s championship series between the Thunder and Pacers.
Although the 2016 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers averaged 20.28M viewers overall, it benefited enormously from Game 7, which drew 31.02M viewers. Through the first four games, the James vs. Stephen Curry matchup drew 18.36M viewers — more than a million fewer than this year’s 19.6M viewers.
Mind you, the 19.6M average viewers (thus far) is expected to spike if the Spurs vs Knicks Finals go the distance to six or seven games. While it’s unlikely to touch the 29.04M average viewers drawn by the Bulls vs. Jazz 1998 series, it’s still on pace to eclipse all 10 NBA Finals that featured LeBron James.
Per NBA PR:
Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals on ABC was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 4 since 1998, averaging 20.9M viewers and peaking with 23.2M viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET. The 2026 NBA Finals are the most-watched NBA Finals through four games since 1998.
Some have argued that it’s unfair to compare Jordan’s NBA Finals TV ratings to those of James’ due to the influx of streaming platforms over the last decade.
The counterpoint is that the 2026 Finals have averaged more traditional TV viewers—even in the age of streaming, illegal streaming and VPN-unlocked global feeds.
Another record-setting audience for the ’26 #NBAFinals as ABC drew an audience of 20.9M 👏
🏀 Largest NBA Finals Game 4 audience since ’98 🏀 Most-watched NBA Finals Game 4 EVER on ABC 🏀 Up 123% from last year’s Game 4 🏀 23.2M peak viewers
More: t.co/TKy0zNgv7I
This year’s Finals have drawn nearly double the viewership (through the first four games) than the last three Finals series. The 2024 Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks averaged only 11.31M viewers, while last year’s Finals averaged a disappointing 10.27M viewers (even with a Game 7 between Thunder and Pacers).
“What we’re seeing is that this Spurs-Knicks series is a tremendous cultural moment,” ESPN’s senior vice president for audience research, Flora Kelly, told the LA Times.
Lee Berke, president of LHB Sports Entertainment & Media, Inc, feels that the ongoing NBA Finals have all but crowned Victor Wembanyama as the new face of the NBA.
“The match-up is ideal from a media business standpoint, featuring the nation’s largest media market with New York, teams with robust followings and multiple all-stars, especially Wemby, the compelling new face of the NBA,” he said.
The excitement surrounding Wemby, Jalen Brunson and Co. also allows the NBA to move on from LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and into a new era.
It also shatters the narrative — mostly put out by the pro-LeBron James camp — that the league will struggle to generate excitement around the product when the Los Angeles Lakers star retires. If anything, this year’s Finals viewership proves the league is in a better position now than it ever was during the James era.
Thank you for your contributions, James, but the NBA is ready to move on.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan
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