Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals Audience Is Tops Since Michael Jordan’s Last Championship
Seven-game series averages 20.2 million total viewers per game
Tony Maglio | June 20, 2016 @ 11:27 AM
Last Updated: June 20, 2016 @ 6:38 PM
Getty Images
The fat lady has officially sung the Golden State Warriors to sleep, and the just-buzzered NBA Finals averaged 20.2 million total viewers per game — the most for the championship series since 1998.
Sunday’s Game 7 alone hit 30.8 million linear audience members — tops since Michael Jordan closed out Game 6 of those ’98 finals. That was the other No. 23’s last NBA Championship.
This one, with LeBron James donning the 23 jersey, posted a 15.7 U.S. household rating, per Nielsen. The gaudy Game 7 tune-in peaked with 44.5 million viewers from 10:30-10:40 p.m. ET. Those 10 minutes scored a 22.5 rating.
Click here for the fast national numbers for just primetime; click here for the earlier metered market overnights ratings.
Sunday’s contest delivered a 46.3 in the triumphant Cleveland market, making it the second-highest rated NBA game ever in the market. In the Warriors’ hometown of San Francisco, the game generated a 39.4 rating, which also ranks second all-time for an NBA game. The rest of the Top 10 markets included Columbus (30.1), Miami (24.3), San Antonio (23.6), Sacramento (23.3), Memphis (21.7), Atlanta (21.3), Dayton (21.0) and Norfolk (20.7).
The Finals finale was also the most-watched NBA game ever on WatchESPN, with 96.3 million total minutes streamed. The app earned 1.8 million unique viewers, with an average audience minute of 598,000. That’s the most for a non-World Cup event ever on WatchESPN.
9 NBA Stars Who Took a Shot at Hollywood (Photos)
Michael Jordan
It's only fitting that the greatest basketball player in history would star in the biggest basketball film of all time. His Airness plays himself in "Space Jam" as he comes out of retirement to save the Looney Tunes from being kidnapped by giant aliens.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
After pretending to just be an airline pilot named Roger Murdock in "Airplane!," the famous basketball player angrily responds to one of his critics in the form of a young boy in one of the film's many zany moments.
Gheorghe Muresan
For 1998's "My Giant," Billy Crystal cast NBA center Gheorghe Muresan for the role of Maximus, the titular big man. Crystal plays a huckster who tries to use Maximus' height for his personal advantage. Crystal based the film on the relationship he developed with Andre the Giant while filming "The Princess Bride."
Ray Allen
Just two years into a record-breaking career, Ray Allen turned in a critically-praised performance in "He Got Game" as Jesus Shuttleworth, a high school senior who is pressured by his father (Denzel Washington) into playing for a certain college that can pull some strings and get him out of prison.
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal has played a genie ("Kazaam") and a superhero ("Steel") as well as cameoing in many of Adam Sandler's comedies. But he got his start by playing a college basketball player in 1994's "Blue Chips," acting opposite Nick Nolte as his coach. O'Neal was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst New Star for his performance.
Dennis Rodman
Hollywood took one glance at Dennis Rodman and decided, "There's a star." The Chicago Bulls forward starred with Jean-Claude Van Damme in 1997's "Double Team." The acting may have been subpar, but the writers were able to mix it in with some truly awful one-liners. Rodman won three Razzie Awards for his performance in the film.
Larry Bird
One of the NBA's all-time greats appeared as himself in "Space Jam," wisely telling Bill Murray that he should stick with acting and give up his basketball dreams. Bird also cameoed in "Celtic Pride," which starred Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as die-hard Celtic fans who kidnap an opposing player to help their team.
Rick Fox
Arguably the player with the most successful transition from the court to the big screen, Rick Fox has participated in films ranging from "He Got Game" to "Meet the Browns," as well as playing a baseball player in a memorable cameo from "Holes."
Darius Miles
Drafted out of high school, Darius Miles rode his early NBA stardom to a role in "The Perfect Score." Acting alongside Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, he played a high school basketball player who was desperate enough for a high SAT to join a band of students intent on stealing the answers.
1 of 9
From the hardwood to Hollywood: TheWrap takes a look at some of basketball’s finest who have dabbled in acting
Michael Jordan
It's only fitting that the greatest basketball player in history would star in the biggest basketball film of all time. His Airness plays himself in "Space Jam" as he comes out of retirement to save the Looney Tunes from being kidnapped by giant aliens.
