Team USA's Olympic Opener vs. Serbia Surpassed Impressive Ratings Landmark

Karl Rasmussen | Jul 29, 2024

United States guard Lebron James (6) dribbles in the second quarter against Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

USA's men's basketball team cruised to a victory in its 2024 Olympic debut on Sunday, taking down Serbia, 110–84. As the United States looks to win its fifth consecutive gold at the Games in Paris, fans back home were tuning in and showing their support.

NBCUniversal revealed its ratings for the start of the 2024 Olympics on Monday, indicating that the U.S.-Serbia clash drew an average viewing audience of 10.9 million across all NBC platforms.

That figure already surpasses the viewership numbers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics's gold medal game, during which the United States defeated France to win gold.

USA Men's Basketball's Olympic opener against Serbia averaged 10.9 million viewers across NBC—more than the gold-medal game from the Tokyo Olympics. pic.twitter.com/LDtKGQVmkw

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 29, 2024

Kevin Durant and LeBron James led the charge offensively for Team USA in Sunday's win, combining for 45 points, including 23 from Durant in less than 17 minutes off the bench.

In what James has already declared will be his final run in the Games, he turned in an outstanding performance in the team's first clash of the tournament.

The U.S.'s next challenge comes on Wednesday, when they take on South Sudan—a team that gave them some trouble during their exhibition clash ahead of the Olympics. The United States will then close out their group stage matches with a game against Puerto Rico on August 3. Both of those games figure to draw significant viewership, too, as Team USA's dominance in basketball continues to be must-watch television.