"It makes the game boring" - Shaquille O'Neal breaks down reason behind NBA's dropping viewership
Amid the NBA's reported viewership decrease from last season, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal called on teams to stop being too dependent on 3-point shooting. According to the Hall of Famer, players and coaches implementing more variety into their offensive sets could re-attract more fans.
The NBA secured a massive 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with ESPN, Amazon and NBC over the offseason. Nevertheless, according to Front Office Sports' Wednesday report, the league's television ratings have consistently declined to begin the 2024-25 campaign.
On Thursday's episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq," O'Neal asked his co-host Adam Lefkoe if the report was true. Lefkoe confirmed so, noting that the NBA's primetime games have drawn fewer fans than last season's comparable matchups.
Afterward, Lefkoe asked O'Neal if he had a "theory" for the reason behind the drop-off. The big man highlighted how teams have increasingly emphasized spacing and 3-point shooting, making games too predictable.
"I have a theory. It's down because we're looking at the same thing," O'Neal said. "Everybody's running the same plays. At the damn top of the key, dribble handoff.
"I was talking to a coach yesterday, and he said they want to shoot 50 3s, because they were trying to contemplate if I could play in this era. ... and I'm like, 'Well, how much you wanna make?' 'We wanna make 10 or 15 of them.'
"I was like, 'Well, that's not gonna help you win.' But I think everybody's looking at the same thing, ... I think it makes the game boring," he continued.
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To start the season, six teams are averaging 40-plus 3-point attempts per game, led by the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics (51.2). Conversely, Boston was the only team that took 40 or more triples a night last season (42.5).
If that trend continues, along with the NBA's decreased viewership, the league may be forced to implement changes to limit teams' outside shooting frequency.
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Shaquille O'Neal says Steph Curry-led Warriors dynasty hindered the NBA's watchability
During his podcast discussion, Shaquille O'Neal noted that Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors' late 2010s dynasty influenced the NBA's product decline.
According to the four-time NBA champion, too many opposing squads tried to mimic the sharpshooting superteam's playstyle, hurting the league's watchability.
"Steph Curry and those guys messed it up," O'Neal said. "I don't mind Golden State back in the day shooting 3s, but every team's not a 3-point shooter, so why (does) everybody have the same strategy?"
O'Neal added that as long as teams keep firing at will from beyond the arc, "viewership will continue to go down."
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