"We try our best to respect the game and showcase and display it in a fashion that might be a little bit more appetizing for a different group of people that are watching alongside the best play commentators on Earth."
"The NBA has a long history of collaborating with talented creators who share our commitment to bringing the excitement of our games and events to fans around the world."
"If you go to an NBA game on Thursday night, you expect to see us. You don’t just expect to see LeBron play. You expect to see Chuck, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie play too."
Credit the TNT crew with playing things about level — nobody tried to pretend this was anything other than a freestyle show — but there is just such a limited audience for the kind of tripe that was on the court in Indianapolis.
The broadcast reached 11.6 million unique viewers across networks, up 20 percent vs. last year. Its average of 5.5 million viewers was up 14 percent YoY.
"It is down 27% from last year. It is also significantly lower than 2021, which saw the smallest audience ever to that point, with an average of under 6 million tuning in."
"We look forward to honoring the content that moved audiences in 2026 and continuing the Gracies’ long-standing investment in the people who will shape what comes next.”