Ex-NBA coach Rick Pitino floats idea to help ratings

It is no secret the NBA ratings have fallen on hard times.

Top stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are in the twilight of their future Hall of Fame careers, and budding young players like Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant have yet to truly capture the fervent attention of a broader basketball audience.

Rick Pitino, the current St. John’s men’s basketball coach and former head coach of the Boston Celtics, offered his two cents on how to increase ratings.

“It has been reported that the NBA ratings are down 28% this year alone,” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. “Suggestion, bring back hand checking and more physicality. The players are too strong, too quick, and have become amazing shooters.”

Everyone and their mother seems to have an idea about why the game has not drawn as much interest as it once did. The increase in 3-point shooting, stars deciding against playing on back-to-back nights and fans’ interests elsewhere during the regular season have all been named as potential factors.

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver seemed to agree with the latter.

“We’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are in traditional television,” Silver told The Athletic. “And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which will enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.

“And as we move to streaming service, putting aside how the actual game is played on the floor, it’s going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can’t do through traditional television. All kinds of new functionality, all kinds of new options and screens that are available.