Adam Silver Pins Hopes on Victor Wembanyama: A Game-Changing Move to Close 20 Million Plus Gap With NFL

According to some estimations, basketball is the third-most-followed sport in the world, with approximately 2.2 billion fans worldwide. As a result, the NBA has greatly benefited from basketball’s global appeal and impact. Despite this, the league has failed to get a foothold in the USA, it’s home. The NBA’s viewership numbers pale in comparison to those of the NFL. However, the NBA is banking on Victor Wembanyama’s global appeal to close that gap.

The 20-year-old French phenom has taken the NBA by storm. Even the most optimistic of Wemby supporters could have never imagined the level of impact he has had on the San Antonio Spurs organization, and the NBA as a whole. Victor Wembanyama’s generational talent was on full display during his rookie season in the NBA. Buoyed by the reception Wembanyama received, the Spurs have decided to schedule two NBA regular season games in Paris. According to Tom Osborn, “The Spurs announced they will play two regular-season games in Paris next season against Indiana on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, 2025.”

This announcement is a big deal because it’ll mark the first time ever that two NBA games are played in the French capital during the same season. The NBA has hosted games on foreign soil before in cities like New Mexico and London, but scheduling two games is a landmark decision. However, the league supposedly took a page out of the NFL’s playbook because the NFL regularly hosts European games.

In 2024, the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars will play international games in London at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers would travel to Munich, Germany.

The NFL dominating the NBA in viewership numbers

Despite the NBA’s global popularity, the NFL reigns supreme in the USA. The two are in constant competition to attract more eyeballs to their product. However, at the moment, the NFL is winning this battle by a landslide margin. The 2024 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers garnered approximately 112.17 million viewers. Meanwhile, the 2023 NBA finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat averaged 11.64 million viewers.

The difference in viewership numbers between the NFL and the NBA is eye-popping. Furthermore, NFL games were the 56 most watched sporting events in 2023. However, this is to be expected, considering that the NFL season has far fewer games throughout its calendar than the NBA. Despite being hammered in the viewership department by the NFL, the NBA rules social media.

In 2022, the NBA was the most viewed and engaged professional sports league on social media. Moreover, NBA games garnered more than 29.4 billion video views across all social media platforms. The league has more fans on social media than the other professional sport leagues combined. The NBA official Instagram handle has approximately 88 million followers, whereas the NFL could only muster up 30 million followers of the same platform. With a new TV rights deal on the horizon, the NBA and Adam Silver would like to capitalize on their global reach. Simultaneously, try to increase their presence within the USA, the game’s home.