There are a handful of issues that are coming to the forefront in the NBA. Things like load management and the abundance of three-point shooting are beginning to have a negative effect on the popularity and viewership of the league. There have been some preliminary changes and tweaks that could prove beneficial in the long run, like penalties for missing games and a new format for All-Star Weekend.
NBA legend and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley has his own ideas for what might help the cause, including starting the season two months later than usual.
NBA Struggling With Viewership, Blame Placed On Multiple Factors
Barkley made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show earlier this week, and was asked about the state of the league. He joined in the general sentiment that there are too many three-pointers being shot, citing certain games looking like a “three-point contest”.
But he also told a relatable story about his most recent weekend. Barkley said that after watching a full day of football on Sunday, he turned over to the NBA during the nightcap. He watched the game between the Warriors and Mavericks that evening, a game which set the NBA record for most made three pointers in 48 minutes. “It was one of the worst games I’ve seen,” said Barkley. “They just went up and down the court and shot threes. And I was like, ‘man, this is awful to watch if you’re just going to have a three-point shooting contest.”
“I think we need to seriously consider starting on Christmas because listen you’re wasting your time going up against the NFL and College Football, they own the weekends now… We’d have the entire calendar to ourself.”
-Charles Barkley on changing the start to the #NBA season pic.twitter.com/uJasfWlO3D
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 18, 2024
While he didn’t offer any specific suggestion on how to fix that particular issue, he did have an idea for how to help the overall viewership. Citing the fact that college and professional football tend to dominate the fall sports schedule and “own the weekends”, Barkley proposed that the NBA start their season around Christmas, which would have them competing less with the other powerhouse sports.
The problem would obviously be at the tail end of the year. In order to complete the same 82-game schedule and ensuing playoffs, the league would likely have to add another two months to the schedule, which would take them into early August before crowning a champion. This part of the conversation was bypassed by Barkley and Patrick.
The NBA has started late on multiple occasions in years’ past, including the lock-out shortened season in 2011-2012. They did, in fact, start the regular season on Christmas Day that year. Barkley noted this in his interview, and said that it was one of the best years ever in terms of ratings and viewership.
