Seemingly everyone in the NBA media, from Stephen A. Smith to JJ Redick had a critical take on Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. It may come as a head-scratching surprise, then, that the game was considered a success based on viewership numbers.
The NBA announced Tuesday that 11.6 million unique viewers tuned into Sunday night’s matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Average viewership over the course of the game was 5.5 million. Both of those numbers were at least 14% higher than last year.
This year’s All-Star Game saw the East wallop the West in a 211—186 shootaround that none of the players on the court seemed to take seriously.
