OKC Thunder Drawing Heavy Social Media Attention

To the outside world, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers might seem like an underwhelming NBA Finals in terms of drawing audiences. While both teams play an exciting brand of basketball, they rank among the smallest markets in the league.

However, in a playoff stretch dominated by the two, the NBA has actually drawn higher ratings than last year. Across ABC, TNT and ESPN, a total of 4.5 million viewers have been drawn — a 3% increase.

That's just scratching the surface. Social media is a whole other tool in itself, which is especially used to promote the league's biggest stars. That includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton, who have equally dominated feeds both on and off the baskeball court.

League data shows that Gilgeous-Alexander has driven the most views on NBA social media accounts in the playoffs, standing at 864 million views before the Finals have even begun. During the regular season, he ranked No. 7 with 1.06 billion views.

Third to only Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota Timberwolves' guard Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton has accumulated 679 million views. He's gained the second-most Instagram followers during the playoffs with 291,000, while Gilgeous-Alexander has the edge with 310,000.

The impact of social media on the NBA can't be understated. It is gaining the most attention now more than ever, increasing its views on social media platforms by 62% this season. Oklahoma City might not be a Los Angeles, and Indiana might not be a New York, but the two franchises have garnered enough of a reputation to make for an interesting Finals matchup.

After being named the 2025 MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander's stock is at an all-time high in his career. He's formed himself into one of the league's biggest stars, and his social presence helps add to his notoriety to even more casual fans of the NBA.

No matter what team comes out on top, one thing is clear: the small market has been revitalized. The Thunder and Pacers have built themselves into juggernauts, and they'll likely be here to stay in the championship picture for several years to come.