It’s no secret that the NBA TV score have been declining in current historical past, however much more so previously couple of seasons, and Shaquille O’Neal ensures he is aware of the the reason why. In current tales lined by Terrible Saying and Entrance Workplace Sports activities, this 2024-25 marketing campaign appears to have misplaced many viewers since opening night time.
It was on a current present of his Huge Podcast on the DraftKings community, the place the Corridor of Famer defined his factors of view. The Lakers legend believes probably the most essential causes is that the game now options too many three-point makes an attempt and doesn’t supply any extra depth to the sport, because it used to.
“It’s down as a result of we’re trying on the identical factor,” Shaq expressed. “Everyone is operating the identical performs…Steph Curry and people guys messed it up. I don’t thoughts Golden State again within the day capturing threes, however each group isn’t a 3-point shooter. So why all people has the identical technique? I feel it makes the sport boring.”
Shaq believes NBA viewership is down as a result of everybody desires to shoot threes
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/FRGChSptKO) pic.twitter.com/RDwog4gtAx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 7, 2024
Now, there are a lot of different explanations that specify why the league’s viewership maintain happening, as there are little or no subscribers to the cable and satelital packages, or the truth that the common season matches really feel like there’s not a lot at stake in an 82-game competitors the place 10 groups from every convention could make it to the playoffs.
Many really feel these are two many contests which don’t really feel significant in any respect, not athletically or symbolically. In a method, this additionally interprets to the court docket, the place many followers have begun to really feel as if the gamers haven’t any want to provide their greatest efforts to earn victories.
Nonetheless, O’Neal is satisfied that it’s largely in regards to the quite a few quantities of makes an attempt from past the arc, which have endlessly modified the basketball sport and its pure move. “The sport has already been excellent ever since Naismith created it,” he claimed.
“This new period of people f–ked it up… Golden State got here in and adjusted it and also you made an incredible level, it’s a copycat league,” he added. “Everyone desires to be Steph Curry, however all people’s not Steph Curry and that’s why viewership is down. However these dudes, they should get up as a result of if viewership is down, the cash is gonna come down.”
Shaquille isn’t the one one who has been warning the NBA world about how the three-point period has made the sport too predictable
I assume you’ll be able to name the fashionable NBA to be fairly predictable, now that even dynasties have been constructed over the three-point technique, altering the basketball sport endlessly. Shaquille isn’t the primary or the one one who has been beating this identical drum, simply as NBA author Bob Ryan has been doing for over a decade.
“For me, the 3-point shot is the one worst factor to occur to basketball in my lifetime. And let’s again up for a bit of historical past, OK? Yeah. The ABA didn’t introduce the 3-point shot. The ABA absorbed the 3-point shot. The three-point shot. As we all know, it was a gimmick of a promoter. I might repeat that, of us,” he stated not too long ago on OutKick’s Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.
“It was not requested for by anyone within the NBA. It was the gimmick of a promoter,” he insisted. “That man being Abe Saperstein, the impresario of the Harlem Globetrotters, who based a league in 1961 referred to as the American Basketball League, he hoped can be in opposition to the NBA. That league lasted a 12 months and a half. It folded within the second 12 months. However he bought a 3-point shot as a result of he wanted a gimmick.”
The legendary author even went on to say that he anticipates the league will some day introduce newer guidelines that may proceed to alter basketball as we all know it. “I’ve lengthy stated that there’ll most likely be a 4-point shot in my lifetime and the three isn’t going wherever. And that’s the sport right here. What it does is has distorted the sport at each stage,” Ryan assured.
