LeBron James‘ move to the Lakers continues to be the driving story of the NBA season.
Last Wednesday’s Lakers-Cavaliers NBA regular season game earned a 2.1 rating and 3.69 million viewers on ESPN, up 11% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (Warriors-Thunder: 1.9, 3.28M) and up 200% and 232% respectively from 2016 (Spurs-Hornets: 0.7, 1.11M).
The game, James’ first in Cleveland since leaving the Cavaliers, delivered the largest audience of the NBA season. The previous high was 3.36 million for Rockets-Lakers — James’ home Laker debut — in October.
It also tied the highest rating of the season, matching James’ first game with the Lakers, against Portland in October. The Lakers have played in the three highest rated and most-watched games thus far, and five of the top ten.
Going back further, it was the most-watched regular season game on ESPN since Christmas 2015 (Spurs-Rockets: 3.88M) and the network’s top game outside of Christmas since October 2014 (Cavs-Bulls: 3.88M). It was the top Laker game on any network since March 2016 on ABC (Warriors-Lakers: 3.72M).
Compared to the two previous times James returned to one of his old haunts, ratings and viewership trailed his 2014 return to Miami with the Cavaliers (4.8, 9.3M) and his 2010 return to Cleveland with the Heat (4.2, 7.1M). The former aired on ABC Christmas Day, and the latter took place at the height of post-Decision hysteria.
Later Wednesday, Thunder-Warriors had a 1.7 and 2.89 million — up 31% in ratings and 34% in viewership from last year (Lakers-Kings: 1.3, 2.15M) and up 113% and 125% respectively from 2016 (T’Wolves-Pelicans: 0.8, 1.29M).
Oklahoma City’s blowout win delivered the fifth-largest audience of the season. Golden State has played in four of the season’s top ten games.
Most-watched NBA games this season
[Numbers from Nielsen via Programming Insider 11.26]
