Recently, much of the conversation in and around NBA circles has revolved around the drama of Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Butler notably led the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in the bubble. Recently, Butler has let it be known that he is no longer happy playing for the Heat and is looking for a trade out of South Florida.
Recently, Butler was suspended for the next seven games by the franchise – more than likely to give Miami enough time to find a trade partner it believes can work out a suitable deal for Butler.
This is what most of the NBA discussion has centered around as of late – but back in December, one word dominated the NBA discourse.
Ratings.
The idea that NBA ratings have been lagging from previous years. The NBA’s ratings woes were on full display during Christmas – what has been traditionally an NBA holiday. While the slate of NBA games featured a much better product than that of the NFL, football still trounced basketball in the Christmas Day numbers.
Correction – the Beyonce concert that featured NFL games trounced the NBA ratingswise.
There is a WNBA element to this conversation. What has been amazing has been how, in the past, individuals on social media have lamented that if the WNBA were more like the NBA it would be more popular.
If it is one thing that the NBA is extremely adept at, it is lifting ideas from the W but not giving the W much credit. After all – where did the NBA Cup even originate from? That came from the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup.
Perhaps the NBA needs to lift another idea from the WNBA in terms of how it markets its young stars. The WNBA identifying who its star players are and letting the general public know about who these young women are – on- and off-court – has been a massive reason for the WNBA’s surge in popularity.
And, yes. While we have covered both the good and the bad of the W’s rise in interest and media coverage, a rising number of casual fans understand who some of the faces of the women’s association are. These include young up-and-comers such as Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Rickea Jackson and – beginning this summer – Paige Bueckers. These also include established veteran talents such as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Arike Ogunbowale.
When thinking about who the “faces” of the NBA have been for the better part of the last two decades, three names come to mind. Those three names are Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and – of course – LeBron James.
And while the aforementioned three future Hall of Famers have certainly left an indelible imprint on the history of the NBA, the time is getting closer and closer to when Durant, James and Curry put away their sneakers and jerseys for good.
In NBA circles, the question often comes up as to who will take on the mantle of “face of the NBA” once Bron, KD and Steph call it a career. This is where the NBA needs to start embracing its future.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has already won a championship. As has Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Then there are rising up-and-comers such as Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama. These are the names that the NBA has to get in the faces of casual fans.
To the NBA’s credit, they did have Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves and Wemby’s San Antonio Spurs playing on Christmas Day. But this is where the WNBA once again comes in.
Clark, Reese, Jackson, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and others recently completed their rookie seasons. And the WNBA already has an idea that these will be among the future stars of the league. It is a must-see experience whenever any of these bright young stars take to the court.
This is especially hilarious for individuals who claim to be basketball fans but apparently only watch ball when men are playing. Perhaps another reason as to why the women’s game is growing is because it reminds hoop heads of the fundamentals of the game.
While the men’s side of basketball (from high school and AAU to the pros) appears to be obsessed with highlight plays, there is more of an emphasis on team ball and fundamentals on the women’s side.
This was cool when NBA games appeared to be somewhat competitive. With many regular seasons games nowadays more closely resembling All-Star Games from the 1990s and 2000s, it is clear that the men’s basketball being played is very different from the men’s hoops we may have grown up watching.
The women’s side looks more like pure basketball – even if dunking is less frequent.
We are in a climate where the shoe appears to be on the other foot – with women’s basketball on the rise and the world’s premier men’s league struggling to keep fans interested.
In all fairness to the NBA, it is not entirely its fault. The NBA typically goes through this at the beginning of seasons. Perhaps, not to this extent but it does happen.
It gets overshadowed by football throughout much of the first half of the season. All-Star weekend is when the NBA starts getting a modicum of shine. Then after All-Star weekend, the NBA gets overshadowed again by conference tournaments in college basketball and – of course – March Madness.
Then comes the NBA playoffs – the one time of year where on-court happenings within the men’s Association actually are first on the lips of fans. Two problems. One – in the United States, as much attention is spent on the NFL Draft. And in Canada, the NBA’s playoffs are competing with the NHL’s postseason.
And for all the discourse about dunks, the direction of NBA and WNBA ratings have made it clear. It is not dunks that fans want to see. Fans want to see stars.
The WNBA understands who its stars are – its current stars and its future stars. It is also capitalizing on more diehard basketball fans embracing its style of play as opposed to that of the NBA.
Adam Silver ought to understand who will carry the NBA’s torch once James, Curry and Durant call it a career. Edwards and Wembanyama are right there and the NBA needs to push them even if they are not currently playing in the sexier markets of New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago or Miami.
This is especially the case given that the NBA is about to transition off of TNT and back to NBC (and Peacock) beginning with the 2025-26 seasons. The NBA’s upcoming media rights deal is actually tied to the WNBA’s.
Also – expansion appears to be all but a given in the NBA as it was for the WNBA – so all is not dim on the men’s side.
But just as the NBA embraced the future of media by dipping into the streaming realm, it needs to embrace the future in terms of marketing its stars. In the same way that the WNBA has made Clark and Reese must-see TV, the NBA has to do the same for its young stars like Edwards and Wembanyama.
Or…if all else fails, the NBA can simply lower the rims.
