Victor Wembanyama entered this season as one of the most hyped rookies in recent memory, and fans want to see the French phenom in action. That translated to Wembanyama’s debut, with much of the country tuning in to watch the forward’s first NBA game.
According to ESPN, the Spurs-Mavericks game on Wednesday night averaged 2.99 million views, peaking at 3.9 million, which was the most-watched season-opening ESPN late game since 2012.
Not surprisingly, this game did very well in France, as French NBA League Pass increased by 220% compared to league average. Additionally, both the Spurs and Mavericks participated in their most watched ESPN non-Christmas regular season game on Wednesday night.