Jun 6, 2023 - Sports

San Antonio's basketball interest rebounds in the NBA Finals

Madalyn Mendoza

Illustration of a series of basketballs in different colors in an Andy Warhol-esque composition — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Even without a team in the NBA Finals, Spurs fans aren't on the sidelines — San Antonio was a top-five market for the first game of the series between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets.

Why it matters: San Antonio has long been considered a small market, but taking the fifth spot with an 8.7 rating shows this is a basketball city.

By the numbers: The Thursday game averaged 11,580,000 viewers on ABC and ESPN2, according to numbers released yesterday by Nielsen and ESPN.

State of play: Predictably, Denver, Miami and West Palm Beach took the top three spots.

Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia, was fourth.

What they're saying: Spurs fans are reacting to the numbers on Twitter, saying the renewed interest might be spurred by the team's No. 1 draft pick, which will likely bring French phenom Victor Wembanyama to San Antonio.

"We’re already checking out who is likely gonna be our main conference competitor/rival for the next few years eh…? We are so back baby," Spurs fan Joey Barrett, or @TheJoeyBarrett, tweeted.

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San Antonio's basketball interest rebounds in the NBA Finals

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