In the first week of this NBA season, viewership for all nationally televised games was down compared to last year. For example, the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers, averaged 1.6 million viewers which is a 42% decline from ESPN’s first two games in 2023. This decrease has led to a growing conversation about how to bring back the excitement of past eras.

On a recent episode of Run It Back TV, former NBA star Lou Williams mentioned Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s belief that bringing some “fighting” back into the NBA might actually improve the sport’s appeal. DeMarcus Cousins, another guest on the show, took this idea a step further, suggesting that a “2-minute fight session” could add some much-needed energy and draw in viewers.

“I think that’s huge part of the sports. I think that’s why myself, you guys as well grew up loving this game. We grew up on the rivalries. We grew up on the players not liking each other and leaving it all on the floor. I think that’s a valuable part of sports,” Cousins says.

The two elements that made the NBA must watch TV in the past were rivalries, and physicality — and the League has thrived historically on both. The 1980s were filled with fans tuning into see the fierce rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, manned by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, respectively.  

Michael Jordan’s Bulls were battling with the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons of the 1990s, who established a reputation for themselves by playing nasty defense and throwing plenty of hard fouls. Moreover, NBA viewership peaked in the 1998 finals with an average of 29 million viewers, while the best finals in recent times were the 2016 finals with an average of 20.3 million viewers. So if it were in Cousins’ hands, he would definitely bring back some of it for the entertainment factor. 

“If I was running things, obviously, I wouldn’t mind you know, 2 minute fight sessions, something like that… I think it’s entertaining. I think it’s great for sports. You know only the strong survives, that is part of the league. You know I think it would be entertaining and definitely will boost the rates,” said the 4x NBA All-Star, having himself been involved in spats against players like Draymond Green.

While a literal “fight session” may be impractical, adding more competitive fire and physicality could go a long way in helping the NBA rekindle the magic. But if we were to choose a move to keep the audience coming without really resorting to physicality, Shaquille O’Neal has a suggestion.

Shaquille O’Neal wants to switch things up

After hearing the drop in NBA ratings, Shaquille O’Neal, on his podcast, expressed that the NBA’s shift to three-point-centered gameplay has stripped the sport of its previous thrill. According to O’Neal with game sometimes devolving into three-point shooting contests, changing things up in the execution of skills could give the fans something to look forward to – diversifying their offensive approaches, mixing up inside play with long-range shots, much like the iconic style of play in past eras.

“I have a theory. It’s down because we are looking at the same thing. Everybody’s running the same plays, at the damn top of the key, dribble hand off. I was talking to a coach yesterday. He said he wanted to throw fifty three-pointers… I think viewership will continue to go down unless we switch things back up,” said Shaq during a recent episode of his ‘Big Shaq’ podcast.

It was also a suggestion along the lines of an idea Shaq had for WNBA to boost their views.

During his appearance on Chicago Sky star Angel Reese’s podcast, O’Neal proposed a controversial yet intriguing solution to boost WNBA viewership: lower the rim. “So, let me explain why I came up with this solution first. In women’s beach volleyball, let’s just say the net is 10 (feet), for women it’s lower just a little bit. I’m not saying lowering it to 9.5, just 9.9,” said O’Neal during the podcast. However, his suggestion was immediately dismissed by the Chicago Sky’s power forward. “Just so we can dunk? No. I hate when men say that,” said Reese.

Although the league has great dunkers like Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Brittney Griner and Jonquel Jones, O’Neal was adamant about his decision. While the suggestion has sparked debate, it reflects a larger conversation about innovation in women’s sports, maybe even men’s now.