Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Responds to Declining NBA Ratings

There has been a lot of talk recently about how the NBA ratings are declining. Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo responded to that talk.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates with the most valuable player and championship trophies after winning the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Over the last few weeks, there have been a lot of talks about how the NBA ratings have declined over this past season. They are down 10% from last season, and this is just after the NBA signed a new media rights deal worth nearly $76 billion over the next 11 years.

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the teams that fans love to watch on a nightly basis, thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is one of the faces of the NBA. He continues to be in the MVP discussion every single season and might be the frontrunner to win it this year.

Antetokounmpo was asked recently about the state of the game. He was asked if the game was in a better place with the number of threes being shot. He had a very simple response. "The game is evolving. Is it becoming better? I have no idea; I have to think about that.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked if the game is in a better place with the amount of threes that are being shot.

“The game is evolving. Is it becoming better? I have no idea, I have to think about that.”

— Jackson Flickinger (@JacksFlickinger) December 16, 2024

Obviously, the three-point shot isn't a big part of what Antetokounmpo brings to the court. His scoring is predicated more on getting to the rim and making the occasional midrange shot. He is taking fewer threes this season than he has in the past, and it has worked well for him.

While he might be taking fewer threes, the rest of the league isn't. It's a number that has been going up for the last decade or so. It really coincides with Stephen Curry entering the league. He changed the game in a big way when he came in and started making the three-point shot a true weapon.

As far as the NBA ratings are concerned, the league isn't too worried. They just signed that massive media deal that will take them into the next decade. Adam Silver will also tell you that the NBA is being consumed at higher levels on social media and online than ever before.

The Bucks might actually be worried that they don't take enough threes. They are right in the middle of the pack in terms of threes attempted per game. Taking more might give them a larger margin for error. They just won the NBA Cup, though. Whatever they're doing now seems to be working.

The NBA ratings issue might be more due to the fact that a lot of the stars of the league have suffered injuries early in the year, making the games less desirable to watch.

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