If you haven’t been too updated with the NBA as of late, you’re likely not the only one. According to outkick.com, “The NBA viewership is down 48% since 2012 and 28% on ESPN year-over-year. The new in-season tournament is already down double digits from its inaugural season a year ago, and four of the five lowest-rated NBA Finals of the past 30 years have occurred in the past four years.”

To put it simply: The NBA is losing fans interests, and I’m not too surprised. The first reason for it is the amount of three-point shooting that’s going on around the league. Sure, the Boston Celtics who’re the reigning champions put up 50 shots from deep a game and sit at second place in the east, but other teams are hurting from it. It’s also just boring to watch teams jack up shots without too much passing or giving the ball to the big man down the middle. The idea of the three-point strategy is the lower the shot clock goes the less likely a team is of making a basket out that possession, so teams want to shoot early in the shot clock which maximizes the amount of possessions. That’s why we see guys score 30+ points like it’s nothing. Hell, LaMelo Ball is averaging 30 points a night right now and the Hornets absolutely suck. But Ball is putting up 13 three-pointers a game so the likelihood at least 30% of those shots are likely top drop makes him a top scorer in the league.

It no longer matters when a guy drops 30 or 40 points a night because of how the game is played. Nowadays it’s just a matter of getting the most shots up and who can manipulate the fouling rules. James Harden is able to stay in the league despite having a bad attitude and showing up to training camp out of shape because he knows how to get to he foul line and use the tick-tack rules to his favor so he’s still useful. There’s new rules added every season that makes it harder and harder to play actual defense. Players can’t step in the landing spot of a shooter, can’t touch the shooters arm at all, no hand check, travels aren’t being called and that’s just to name a few. It’s not fun to watch when every game looks the same.

My other point is related to the three-point shooting, there isn’t much all-around skill in today’s game. I hate to sound like the old-head complaining about back in the day, but these guys don’t have a midrange game. Statistically, it may be the worst shot to take, but it’s part of the game and can become very valuable late in games. The Spur’s Victor Wembanyama is 7’3 and shoots a ton of three-pointers, but he would be unstoppable down low. Ja Morant told fans he doesn’t want to dunk anymore, which turns a lot of fans off from watching the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony Edwards is taking more three-pointers this season instead of posterizing on head tops. The game today is either three-point shooting or highlight dunks, there’s no in between.

This next point is more on the subjective side than the rest, but there aren’t enough stars from the United States. The Joker is two-time MVP and treats the NBA like what it is, his JOB, he’s also not the greatest at making highlight plays though he’s a great player. Luka Doncic is a superstar but isn’t athletic, plays no defense, and complains to refs a ton. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a former NBA Champion, but since then he’s been getting head coaches fired and having his brother fill up a roster spot (I’m all for black nepotism by the way) while his team struggles. LeBron James is out of his prime, Steph Curry is out of his prime, Kevin Durant is out of his prime yet ESPN is forced to put the spotlight on these guys because there are no other names that’ will get clicks’ll turn heads as all three of their teams are nowhere close of winning a title. Ja Morant would’ve been that guy but he got into off the court trouble. What ever happened to Zion Williamson? Kyrie Irving has virtually been shunned from getting the recognition he deserves.

There’s no competitive amongst the players, however I don’t know if this is completely fixable. Asking millionaires to go at each other for fun never has really worked through the test of time. The all-star game is a joke because of it. These guys have been playing with each other since AAU and high school ball. By the time some of these guys get to the NBA Draft, they’ve played with one another a couple of times through the amateur circuit, or even college hoops since the top players typically always go to similar schools. There’s no real storylines that are interesting, load management has made fans gamble on whether or not to purchase tickets to a game because their favorite player may not play, it’s insane.

The NBA Play-In makes the regular season nearly useless. What’s the point of playing hard every game if a team can just sneak into the playoffs last minute by winning three games in a row? What makes the playoffs special? The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup, does that make them a true contender in the east? Doubt it.

With the NFL and college football taking over the spring and winter, March Madness for college hoops, and the resurgence of the MLB, the NBA has to figure something out. The NFL is already beginning to take over Christmas games for goodness sakes. Caitlin Clark is the biggest basketball star that’s under the age of 30 right now.

Sports media is also part of this issue. I’m tired of always seeing debate shows and opinions everywhere (I may be part of the problem). Where are the real stories on players and their upbringing before getting to the NBA? Where’s the real storylines from beat reporters who’re on the road everyday? The New York Times, LA Times, and many other publications have a completely thinned out sports section if at all. Instead, we have a ton of podcasts from analysts of former players and columnists just saying their opinion instead of interesting reporting and skilled writing.

Let that sink in.