ESPN could not have hoped for anything better.
Not only did Shaquille O’Neal make his Phoenix Suns debut on the network, but he did it against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, and his former nemesis, Kobe Bryant. And if that was not enough, the Lakers and Suns have been heated rivals for two years.
Combine that with an exciting, high scoring game, and it should be no surprise ESPN drew some of its best numbers ever for an NBA regular season game.
Suns/Lakers drew a 2.9 cable rating with 3.6 million viewers, easily the highest rated and most watched regular season NBA game on cable since 2004. The game was the third-highest rated and most watched regular season game ever on ESPN, behind only Shaq/Yao I in 2003 and the first game between the Pacers and Pistons after their infamous brawl in 2004.
To put the numbers for Suns/Lakers in perspective, the Duke/North Carolina showcase two weeks ago drew a 2.1 cable rating with 2.6 million viewers.
In Phoenix, the game drew an 8.8/12 on FSN Arizona, the best ever for the network. On ESPN, the game drew a 6.8/10. Combined, the rating for Suns/Lakers defeated even the mighty American Idol in Phoenix on Wednesday night. The game drew a 7.5 rating in Los Angeles, the highest so far of the season.
Highest rated regular season NBA games on cable.
(since 2002; all ratings are cable ratings)
3.8: Lakers/Rockets (1/17/03, ESPN)
3.5: Pistons/Pacers (12/25/04, ESPN)
2.9: Lakers/Suns (2/20/08, ESPN)
