The NBA is in big trouble, regardless of what LeBron James might think.
For the first time this Christmas, the NBA and NFL went head to head. Usually, Christmas Day is the unofficial start of the NBA season, where they showcase five of the best star-studded matchups the game has to offer. The NFL usually would either play games on Christmas Eve or the Sunday after Christmas, but this year they decided to stage their own matchups this Dec. 25, challenging the NBA directly. After the TV ratings came back, it’s safe to say the NFL is king — and it’s not particularly close, either.
According to Nielsen, an estimated 65 million people watched the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens’ thumping of the Houston Texans during the NFL doubleheader on Dec. 25. Over 24 million people watched the Chiefs vs. Steelers game on average, and over 27 million watched the Ravens vs. Texans game at its peak — and we can thank that extra three million to Beyoncé‘s performance during halftime. According to Netflix, both matchups were the “most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history.”
Conversely, the NBA reported on Dec. 26 that this Christmas was the most-watched NBA Christmas in five years, drawing an average of 5.2 million people. Wemby and the Spurs taking on Jalen Brunson and the Knicks brought in 4.9 million people. The reigning champion Celtics falling to Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers brought in 5.1 million viewers. Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves knocking off Luka and the Dallas Mavericks averaged about 4.3 million viewers. Lastly, Kevin Durant’s victory over reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets brought in the least amount of viewers, with only 3.8 million.
The NBA’s highlight of the day was the Lakers’ triumph over the Golden State Warriors, which drew an average of 7.7 million fans to watch James and Steph Curry square off. With Curry leading a solo comeback attempt that ultimately failed, viewership peaked at 8.3 million. This matchup also left its mark, as this year’s Lakers vs. Warriors game was the most viewed NBA regular season match since 2019.
All in all, this is very bad for the NBA. The NFL came into your house on Dec. 25, kicked their feet up and got comfortable and kicked the NBA out — metaphorically, at least. The NBA has made this Christmas their day, similarly to how the NFL has made Thanksgiving their day. Now, it looks like the NBA is in huge trouble because it will only get worse from here. You know the NFL will be back on Christmas again next year — and probably with Netflix, too. Expect a third matchup to turn the doubleheader into a tripleheader in 2025, as well as another huge halftime performance. Imagine what the NFL would do to have Taylor Swift performing at the halftime show next year; NFL ratings might cross 100 million viewers, which would be Super Bowl-esque.
The ratings clearly state the biggest draw in the NBA is still James vs. Curry. Unfortunately, both superstars are at the twilight of their careers and won’t be available for the NBA much longer. What happens to the NBA ratings once these two retire? Obviously, stars like Anthony Edwards, Wemby and Jayson Tatum move the needle, but not the way James and Curry do.
On the other hand, the NFL had two bad games and was still able to triple even the NBA’s highest-rated game. Yes, they were star-filled with reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, but the games were blowouts and over by halftime in both instances. Imagine what the ratings would have been had these games been close.
The NBA has a bad product while the NFL’s is skyrocketing day by day. At the end of the day, the NBA’s biggest issue and the NFL’s biggest positive are both the same thing: its players. The players that made people love the NBA (Curry, James, Durant) are fading into the limelight and are being replaced by NBA players who don’t have the same love and passion for the game as the ones before them. You can’t fake love, and the only thing NBA players love today is the money the game brings. They don’t love the game anymore, and the fans can tell that as well — and they are sick of it.
The NFL’s stars — players like Jackson, Mahomes, Allen and even Joe Burrow — are all young and are willing to die on the field. Mahomes sprained his ankle in his last game not even a week ago; yet somehow, he was able to still scramble for a touchdown. You don’t see that type of passion to play from NBA stars anymore; they sit because of a stomachache these days. You can’t fake the funk with real fans; fans are short for fanatics for a reason.
The NBA received a gift this Christmas — the gift of trouble. And unfortunately, even James and Curry won’t be able to get them out of this one.
