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This year’s NBA All-Star Game was the LEAST watched edition of the annual midseason event, with just 4.59 million viewers tuning in, after Stephen A. Smith criticized the show.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was the least-watched edition of the midseason masterpiece, as it made history for all the wrong reasons this year.
Only 4.59 million viewers tuned in to watch Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175 this past weekend, according to sports media watch.
The report revealed that viewership on TNT and TBS was well below five million viewers with a 2.2 rating, eclipsing the 2021 and 2022 lows of a 3.1 rating and around six million viewers two years ago.
Viewership dropped 27 percent from the 2022 version as ratings also dropped 29 percent, the biggest drop since 2000. By comparison, this year’s redesigned NFL Pro Bowl drew more than six million viewers.
The bad numbers come after ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith criticized the show on his First Take show.
“Hell no, I didn’t enjoy it,” Smith said on his show the day after the event.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was the least-watched edition of the midseason masterpiece ever
Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-175 at the event in Salt Lake City on Sunday night
‘This is what’s unforgivable…as pathetic as the All-Pro Game was in football, it’s understandable guys, because football is a violent sport and we have all of that.
‘And I’m not trying to say that you should go all out as a basketball player for All-Star Weekend because you have to look at the second half of the season.
“What I’m trying to say about the sport of basketball is that we don’t need to see an All-Star Game where you play harder in the summer competition when you work out than you do in the All-Star Game.” Weekend.
‘If you can go and play in the summer league competition, I don’t mean summer league as in an organized league. I mean going to the gym and watching these guys work out in the summer, out of season.
“They’re training in the offseason and we all know they’re not doing everything, but they play harder than what you saw last night. There was no effort.
“What we should be able to see, aside from dunks, we shouldn’t be able to look at a basketball game and know that someone might be on the court with you based on the effort that you’re showing.”
“It just reeks of a level of arrogance and taking fans for granted that we continue to regret.
“So again, you know what? I look at it from that perspective and I applaud the coach. [Michael] Malone for highlighting the blatant lack of effort.’
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left in the second quarter after hitting his hand.
James and East captain Giannis Antetokounmpo pose for photos after the All-Star break
The captains of both teams, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, barely appeared, while Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry did not appear at all.
James left the game in the second quarter after hitting his hand on the rim after going up on a block.
Giannis sprained his right wrist in Milwaukee’s final regular season game before halftime Thursday night.
Fans, media and players criticized the helpless game that was “hard to watch” on Sunday.
“I think it’s time to retire ‘Elam’s ending saved the All-Star Game,’ considering it was a 6-point game and game point and there wasn’t exactly an increase in defense,” the Loss Loss Writer wrote. Knicks, Fred Katz.
“I get it, really, but if you love basketball, this is so hard to watch,” Sporting Tribune founder Arash Markazi wrote.
“The All-Star Games are a glorified open gym, but I don’t know if anyone tried in the fourth quarter it was a bit annoying,” Complex Sports’ Kameron Hay wrote.
Social media was quick to criticize the lack of defensive effort in this year’s All-Star contest.