NBA notebook: TV ratings, postponements and Whiteside’s locker room ‘prison glass’
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Fans are still not allowed to attend NBA games in most markets as the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, but more people are watching on television.
According to Nielsen Media Research, NBA television ratings for the league’s major broadcasting partners are up 34% over the 2019-20 season. Nielsen reported an average of 2 million viewers for 27 games played through Martin Luther King Jr. Day on TNT, ESPN and ABC. That was an increase from 1.49 million average viewers for a comparable number of games last season.
TNT’s MLK Day tripleheader, featuring the Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, averaged 1.73 million viewers, up 32% from the networks MLK Day coverage last season. The Bucks-Nets game featured a collection of stars with two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2014 MVP Kevin Durant and 2018 MVP James Harden.
The game between the Lakers and Warriors, featuring four-time MVP LeBron James, Anthony Davis and two-time MVP Stephen Curry, was up 90% compared to the same telecast window last season.
MLK Day coverage on NBA League Pass, the league’s live game subscription package, was up 46% from last year. Overall viewership on League Pass is up 18% based on average minutes watched, and NBA social media platforms are generating a record number of engagements with a 201% increase in minutes watched compared to last season, the league said.
More postponements
The NBA has now postponed 19 games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols with 18 games postponed in the past 12 days.
The league announced Thursday the Memphis Grizzlies’ next three games have been postponed, beginning with Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center in Portland. The postponements also include two games against the Sacramento Kings, who were scheduled to play a back-to-back set against the Grizzlies on Sunday and Monday at FedExForum in Memphis.
The Washington Wizards have had their last six games postponed. They haven’t played since Jan. 11.
“You don’t ever think, never in my wildest imagination thought we would have a two-week break in the middle of January, but unfortunately what’s going on is real,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said in a Zoom call.
More safety measures
The NBA has taken steps to eliminate postgame hugs and handshakes between players, positioning team security in the midcourt area to discourage that kind of comingling.
Other steps are being taken to protect players behind the scenes. Kings center Hassan Whiteside posted video to his Instagram story prior to Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers showing what looked like plexiglass partitions between each player’s stall in the locker room. Whiteside’s clips were accompanied by some amusing commentary.
“(Is) this plexiglass?” Whiteside asked. “This (is) that prison glass. Can I get a little phone beside mine? Man … that’s that plexiglass. (Is) this bullet proof?”
