Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs delivered a historic television audience, becoming the most-watched NBA game in seven years.
The series opener averaged 16.93 million viewers on ABC, surpassing last year’s Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals Game 7 audience of 16.61 million and marking the highest viewership for an NBA game since the 2019 NBA Finals.
The Knicks’ victory peaked at 19.63 million viewers during the 11:00 p.m. ET quarter-hour, highlighting the massive interest surrounding one of the league’s most anticipated Finals matchups in recent years.
The game also ranked as the most-watched NBA Finals opener since 2018, when the Cavaliers and Warriors met in the last chapter of their four-year Finals rivalry.
Viewership for Game 1 surged 90% compared to last year’s NBA Finals opener between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, representing the largest year-over-year increase for a Finals opener on record.
Driven by the star power of Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama, the Knicks-Spurs matchup has generated significant momentum for the NBA, signaling renewed fan engagement and delivering one of the strongest television performances the league has seen in the modern era.