“It’s kind of weird that LeBron doesn’t get that juice that you would think, because Michael Jordan holds the record for the highest rated finals ever” - Rob Parker on NBA’s soaring playoffs ratings minus LeBron James

Analyst Rob Parker commented on LeBron James not getting the attention he thought he would during his fourth championship run in 2020. Parker noted that the NBA's playoff ratings are soaring without James.

Rob Parker comments on LeBron James’ dwindling playoff ratings

Parker explained:

“For this to be an eight year high [ratings] during LeBron’s tenure, it’s kind of weird that LeBron doesn’t get that juice you would think because Michael Jordan holds the record for the highest rated finals ever.”

LeBron James had won three championships and was on his way to his fourth during the year of the bubble. As the Lakers won the championship in 2019-20, LeBron secured his fourth championship, with three of them coming on separate franchises.

Parker believed that, with James on his way to making history that year, the playoff ratings would soar. To the analyst’s surprise, the numbers were actually lower.

Parker outlined:

“He was going for his fourth championship, and three on three different franchises which nobody has ever done. People didn’t tune in to watch that. Like, people normally want to see history, right? That was in the bubble, but for whatever reason, people weren’t caught up on it.”

There has been a lot of debate over the bubble year, but ratings being down while James was making history does not make much sense. Even people who do not like James are assumably going to tune in, hoping to watch him lose.

Michael Jordan having the highest rated finals appearance ever makes absolute sense. Having won six championships across two three-peats, Jordan never failed to deliver success with absolute flair. The league was in his hands at the time and views fell into Chicago’s lap.

Everyone wanted to see Michael Jordan, and very few wanted to see him lose. He was reaping a new level of success that most fans wanted to witness every chance they could.

As the game was being changed before the viewers' eyes, everyone wanted to be a part of it. Knowing about Jordan’s games and stats in the 90s was almost a religion he was so popular.

As an often second in the GOAT debate, LeBron James not having playoff views close to that of Jordan is weird. However, the drop in ratings could arguably have been due to the bubble.

The NBA bubble of 2019-20 was never popular as the home crowds were nowhere to be seen. With the excitement of the arena emptied, viewers across the world lost interest in watching players dribble in an empty arena.