Many people have claimed recently that the NBA is experiencing a downturn. The 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend received varied responses from both players and fans, and Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green attracted attention when he labeled the contemporary NBA as “very boring” last month.
Former NBA player Channing Frye — who was teammates with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers — stated in a recent podcast that James isn’t responsible for the decline of the league.
When a certain X user disagreed with that idea, Frye remarked that the user appeared “stupid.”
Frye was part of the Cavs squad that secured the franchise’s inaugural title in 2016.
Although the question of whether James should be blamed for the league’s downfall is debatable, it’s important to recognize that James was in the league for a significant period before the issue of dwindling interest in the NBA became widely discussed. He’s currently in his 22nd NBA season and has been a standout player in the league since the 2000s.
James also participated in one of the most viewed NBA Finals games in recent times. Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals featuring the Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors attracted an average of slightly more than 31 million viewers, reaching a peak of almost 45 million viewers. James and the Cavaliers triumphed in the game by four points, achieving the first 3-1 comeback in the history of the league’s championship series.
The 40-year-old might work some wonders with the NBA’s ratings later this year, too. The Lakers are set to conclude as a leading seed in the Western Conference and acquired one of the most well-known players in the league, guard Luka Doncic, prior to the deadline.
Given that the Lakers are one of the premier franchises in the league, it would likely benefit the NBA ratings if James and Doncic guide the team far into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Obtaining a top-two seed in the West would likely benefit the Lakers in the playoffs as well. At present, Los Angeles is trailing the Denver Nuggets by fewer than one game for the No. 2 seed.