• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 10, 2025

ESPN’s Up-and-Down NBA Season Ends With Finals to Forget

  • The network has been criticized for its ad-heavy studio segments.
  • Monday’s broadcast misidentified Celtics player Jrue Holiday’s wife.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As the major networks and streamers are fighting over multibillion-dollar NBA media rights, the ESPN colossus has wrapped up yet another Finals.

The network is reportedly set to maintain its rights to air the Finals through 2036, but the ’24 series was marred by several noticeable hiccups throughout its Finals coverage.

Some were minor, like on Monday night announcer Mike Breen mistakenly identified a random woman in the crowd as Celtics player Jrue Holiday’s wife, for which he later corrected and apologized. (The real Lauren Holiday is a well-known and accomplished professional soccer player.)

ESPN has drawn backlash for its ad-heavy halftime show, with about two total minutes of airtime devoted to the studio crew between extensive commercial breaks in Game 1.

“And from the start of the Finals, there has been a lot of criticism about ESPN’s halftime show, which is not really a halftime show. It’s more 20-second long content nuggets positioned around commercials,” Bryan Curtis of The Ringer said on The Press Box podcast. “It’s like the popcorn shrimp of studio shows.”

The pregame show was also widely panned for its actual content, covering topics from Dan Hurley’s coaching decision to analyst Michael Wilbon saying Tim Hardaway Jr. needed to step up in Game 2, in which he ended up not playing a single second.

All of this comes while the network is drawing some of its lowest Finals viewership in years, despite a slight increase in regular-season viewership. The Mavericks’ one win of the series in Game 4 was the least-watched Finals game in the traditional June slot since 2007, according to Sports Media Watch. (The two COVID-19-affected Finals, which happened in October and July, performed worse.) Friday night’s game came with the Celtics up 3–0 and quickly turned into a Mavericks blowout. Game 1 also rated poorly before a solid Game 2.

The 9.62 million viewers in that game was roughly half what ABC/ESPN drew for its broadcast of the women’s college basketball championship earlier this year.

ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast team has dealt with uncertainty all year. The network fired Jeff Van Gundy—who won a ring as a Celtics consultant and is headed to the Clippers as an assistant next season—and Mark Jackson, replacing them with Doris Burke and Doc Rivers. But Rivers lasted only a few months, taking over as the Bucks coach in January. He was replaced by JJ Redick, who may end up with a similarly brief tenure in the role if he takes over as the Lakers’ coach.

Whatever ESPN chooses to do next, it has the runway to do long-term planning. Its reported agreements with the NBA run through 2036.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

Athletic Departments Express Renewed Interest in PE in Wake of House Settlement

Schools now have more expenses—and are looking for creative solutions.
Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.
Oct 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of the Wells Fargo Center before game between Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

New Philly Arena Will Redefine Home-Court Advantage, CEO Says

The forthcoming venue will arrive with plenty of ambition among its owners.

Jalen Williams Signs Max Deal As Thunder Commit $822M to 3 Stars

Oklahoma City also extended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
Paige Bueckers
exclusive

Women’s March Madness Expansion Wouldn’t Yield More ESPN Money

ESPN is not required to pay extra if women’s March Madness expands.
Jul 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Mexico forward Marcel Ruiz (14) heads the ball in front of United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson (11) in the second half during the 2025 Gold Cup Final at NRG Stadium.
July 7, 2025

USMNT Struggles Still Produce Big Gold Cup Ratings for Fox

The U.S. team’s recent issues culminated in a loss to Mexico.
Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after his basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
July 8, 2025

After Decade Apart, ESPN and Big East Rekindle Media Rights Relationship

After a decade-plus apart, the network will stream hundreds of conference events.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 2, 2025

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.