Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut received record numbers in viewership. What’s the breakdown?
At this point, it would be stating the obvious to say that the Frenchman’s debut was highly anticipated. Quite frankly, the viewership was historic.
There are few players in recent memory who have elicited such expectation and excitement. Regarded as a generational talent, the Spurs star has hit the ground running in the NBA and by the looks of it will continue to do so.
Victor Wembanyama is phenomenal
With plenty of comparisons to LeBron James and an unbelievable preseason run on both ends of the court, there is now no doubt that Victor Wembanyama is as they say, ‘all of that and a bag of chips.’ Indeed, at 7-foot-4 the French sensation has shown he is 100% worth the hype. From his 23 points in 23 minutes performance prior to the start of the campaign, to his debut offering against the Dallas Mavericks to whom his San Antonio Spurs lost 126-119 on Wednesday, Wemby has been something to behold. So much so in fact that Mavericks talisman, Luka Doncic, had to take a moment to pay tribute to him even though his team had emerged victorious.
The debut of Victor Wembanyama was a huge deal
You don’t even have to take our word for it, take a look at the numbers. Despite the fact that the Spurs ended up losing to the Mavs on Wednesday night, the fact is NBA fans tuned into Wembanyama’s first game in the league en masse. To make it clear, the 19-year-old’s debut was the most-watched opening night game of the NBA in 11 years. According to the league, 2.99 million viewers were registered for the game, but that’s not the extent of it. Not only was the game the most watched Mavericks/Spurs regular season game in ESPN’s history - excluding Christmas games - it was also a contest that garnered a 220% jump in NBA League Pass viewership in Wembanyama’s home country of France. If that wasn’t enough, the 214 million video views that Wemby received on social media are the most of any NBA player since the start of preseason.
OK, but how did Victor Wembanyama play on his debut?
While it wasn’t his most prolific performance, as he ended up with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, it was clear for all to see that the kid can play and then some. To be fair, on 6 for 9 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3-point range the big man found himself in foul trouble but turned up the heat late in the game with nine points in the fourth quarter on 4-of-5 shooting. Suffice it to say, these are early days in Wemby’s career but most are already convinced that the only potential roadblock for the prodigy at this point is health. Assuming he can stay injury-free, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has only the sky as the limit. Next up for Wemby and the Spurs is a date with the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Expect a whole heap of viewers then too.