Some NBA fanatics are still not used to the fact that LeBron James is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. It's also the similar group of fans who are not used to watching a LeBron James-less postseason. It's not just fans who are seeing the difference. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, too, has seen a drop in TV ratings caused by James' move to the West and absence in the playoffs.
Per Colton Jones of Amico Hoops, Silver revealed how the development in James' career has affected NBA TV ratings.
“Face it, LeBron is one of the biggest stars in the world, and he also played in the East,” he said near the conclusion of the interview. “And so, the reason I look a little bit tired is a lot of our games are in the West, and it’s late at night.
“And I recognize most people choose to go to sleep at a reasonable time. And so, from a rating standpoint, not having LeBron in the playoffs, not having him in the East, has clearly impacted ratings.”




It's an interesting tidbit. This simply goes to show that James is still the face of the NBA. A large part of his is due to his NBA Finals appearance streak from 2010 to 2018. During this time, he won three championships including a 3-1 series comeback against the Golden State Warriors. In the East, he was the wall that teams had to go through to reach the NBA Finals.
It was definitely a strange season. It would be interesting to find out what will happen next year when James comes back with a vengeance and hopefully a recalibrated squad.