Shaquille O’Neal’s recent comments about the NBA’s declining viewership put Steph Curry in the spotlight. According to Shaq, the league has lost its uniqueness because teams are obsessed with copying the Golden State Warriors’ three-point-heavy style. He somewhat holds Curry responsible for this. However, Gilbert Arenas has a completely different viewpoint on this.

“Steph Curry and those guys messed it up… I don’t mind Golden State back in the day shooting threes, but every team is not a three-point shooter,” Shaq had said. Arenas agreed to the part that every team shouldn’t be spamming threes. Because even he believes not every team has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant with them. However, Arenas does not feel this to be the reason behind the NBA’s viewership decline.

He agrees with Lexie Brown that the main reason behind the decline is its “hard to watch games. It’s expensive to watch…” Arenas highlighted how it used to be free. “You gotta buy cable for your own teams and then you gotta buy league pass to get the league pass stuff. So what ends up happening is the distribution of games now. They’re harder to find,” he said.

The former Warriors star further emphasized how a viewer now needs access to multiple platforms to access the NBA in its entirety. Now, there is no denying that Shaquille O’Neal’s claim in itself is not completely wrong. Back in 2002, during his Lakers’ championship run, teams averaged just 18.4 three-point attempts per game. Fast forward to today, and teams like the Boston Celtics are chucking up over 43 threes a night.

And there is no denying that fans have always supported a more intense and physical side of the game than spamming 3-point shots. Curry being a generational talent is a kind of exception. But then again, Arenas may have a stronger point when he says “they’re just splitting it (distribution) for the NBA. Money wise, perfect for you. But for the viewers you’re f*cking us”. 

Analysing Gilbert Arenas’ claim about how the distribution scenario is affecting NBA viewership

Arenas’ take on the NBA’s viewership struggles shines a light on a conversation many fans have probably noticed themselves. Watching games just isn’t as easy as it used to be. As per an article by Slow Boring’s Ben Krauss, ratings over the past several years have hovered between 1.6 and 1.8 million viewers per primetime game.

And if you think that sounds low, consider this—viewership was nearly a million higher before the NBA’s 2014 TV deal. So, what changed? Let’s face it, the way we watch TV has completely shifted. With households swapping cable for streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, catching a game isn’t as simple as flipping channels anymore.

Sure, die-hard fans have League Pass to stay connected. But casual viewers—the ones who might stumble on a game and stick around—are now drowning in a sea of endless content. The NBA isn’t just competing with other sports, but it’s up against everything, from endless streaming options to short-form video content. Now, it’s to be seen if Adam Silver can come up with a solution for a common concern of Shaquille O’Neal and Gilbert Arenas—the decline in NBA viewership.