The New York Knicks’ five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs, which delivered the basketball franchise’s first championship in more than 50 years, became the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.
The team’s clinching 94-90 Game 5 victory on Saturday was watched by an average audience of 24.5 million viewers on Disney-owned network ABC and peaked with 33 million for the closing moments of the championship victory, which marked a 157% year-over-year increase.
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This also served as the most-watched NBA Finals Game 5 since 1998.
Overall, the 2026 NBA Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers across five games, setting an audience record for ABC and major sports network ESPN.
The series was up 100% from last year’s seven-game finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
The second-largest audience of the series came in Game 3, with an average of 23.8 million viewers tuning in. This was up 159% from last year’s Game 3 and peaked with 26.3 million viewers.
It was also the most-watched NBA Finals Game 3 ever on ABC and ESPN.
The Knicks’ dramatic Game 4 win averaged 20.9 million viewers, up 123% from last year’s Game 4 and peaked at 23.2 million.
Games 1 and 2 drew an average audience of 16.9 million (19.6 million peak) and 16.4 million (19.4 million peak), respectively.
The triumph saw the Knicks win their first NBA title since 1973, ending a 53-year drought for one of the league’s biggest franchises.
The Knicks also won the NBA Cup during the 2025-26 season.
