The NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone. While it had its moments, most of which having Mac McClung involved, the early returns on viewership for the events won't be easy to swallow for Adam Silver.

The 2023 iteration of the NBA All-Star Game hit absolute rock bottom in viewership, according to data compiled by Sports Media Watch. The TV popularity of the event has been in decline over the years, but the 2.2 rating and 4.59 million in viewers across TNT and TBS are a very large step down from the previous lows of 3.1 and close to six million from last season.

To be fair to the NBA, a few on-court factors went against them. Marquee draws such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson weren't available due to nagging injuries. The two NBA All-Star Game captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo both exited from the contest early with injury issues of their own. While that might explain the eye-popping dive downward, it likely just amplified the trend that was going to continue regardless.

Mac McClung's show-stealing Saturday night during the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest apparently wasn't enough to salvage some decent ratings. The Saturday festivities were the lowest it's been in over two decades.

“In other All-Star weekend action, NBA All-Star Saturday Night averaged a 1.6 and 3.42 million on TNT — the lowest rating and viewership for the Saturday night festivities in at least two decades. Ratings and viewership fell sharply from last year (2.0, 4.24M).”

One major factor in all this is the continued migration towards social media platforms to consume bit-sized pieces of the said events. Highlights spring up on Twitter or YouTube within minutes of them happening, which enables younger fans to resist needing to watch the event live. That's evidenced by the fact that despite the ratings decline, Mac McClung's social media reach broke records for his NBA All-Star display.

However, it's still a decline however way you swing it. You can bet Adam Silver and co. will be racking their brains in trying to come up with ways to elevate the NBA All-Star Weekend back to cultural relevance.