Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers drew the largest audience for a Finals game in six years, according to ESPN.
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The average audience came in at 16.35 million while the peak audience was recorded at 19.28 million.
This is a massive win for the NBA, especially during a season where ratings have been lower than usual. But due to the closeness of this NBA Finals series, it seems that fans wanted to tune in to see what would happen.
According to ESPN, the seven-game series averaged 10,266,000 viewers and delivered the seven most-watched broadcasts on all of television since May 1. The ratings for the entire postseason were also up across both ESPN and ABC, according to ESPN.
Oklahoma City took down the Pacers in Game 7, clinching the first NBA title in franchise history. The Thunder were the best team all season long, and they proved it by cementing themselves as NBA champions.
But this game was all about the devastating injury to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton left just a few minutes into the game with a non-contact injury.
Many expected it to be a torn Achilles after the initial replay of Haliburton falling to the court. And it was confirmed to be exactly that early Monday morning.
Haliburton now faces a massive uphill battle in terms of his recovery, and his injury could impact the Pacers' offseason. Indiana had previously been planning to enter the luxury tax to keep the core group together, but the injury to Haliburton could change things.
The Pacers will move forward with Haliburton likely missing all of next season. But the special playoff run that the team just went on won't be forgotten anytime soon.
The Thunder may have won the title, but the Pacers showed the league a different way to find success on the floor.
For more on the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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