2023 NBA All-Star Game makes wrong kind of history

Players like Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown have recently criticized the February showcase and scores of fans on social media have slammed the event as overhyped and a money grab for the league. The record-low numbers are still somewhat stunning, however, given the fact that the NBA had no NFL to compete with for the first time all season.

It's worth noting that the All-Star Game did have to go up against the Daytona 500 -- giving sports fans an alternative Sunday viewing -- but even so, the NASCAR event had wrapped up well ahead of the NBA contest. Per Sports Media Watch, the Daytona 500 averaged a combined 4.4 rating and 8.17 million viewers.

According to the report, Team Giannis' Sunday night 184-175 victory over Team LeBron averaged a combined 2.2 rating, which was also a record low. The previous low rating was 3.1 (2021 and 2022) and the previous low mark for viewership was still close to six million, set in 2021.

"Ratings declined 29% and viewership 27% from last year’s All-Star Game (3.1, 6.28M)," the report noted. "While All-Star Game viewership has been trending down, this year’s declines are the steepest for the game since 2000 -- the first All-Star Game after a one-year hiatus due to the 1998-99 NBA lockout."

The report adds that the game "lacked some of the usual stars," as Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors missed the tilt due to a leg injury, while Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers both exited early with wrist and hand ailments respectively.

If fans happen to agree with Brown's classification of the All-Star Game as not "real basketball" and a "glorified layup line" though, a fully healthy slate of the game's biggest names may not have made much of a difference.