The 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 20.6 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, setting an all-time audience record for the network and marking the most-watched Finals since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in 1998, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

Game 5 on ABC drew an average of 24.5 million viewers and peaked at 33 million during the closing moments of New York's championship-clinching victory. It was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 5 since 1998.

The five-game series doubled viewership from last year's seven-game NBA Finals, representing a 100 percent increase year over year when the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in a highly entertaining seven-game series.

ABC and ESPN's Finals broadcasts topped all of television each night, leading every major male and adult demographic category.

Jalen Brunson was named Finals MVP after leading the Knicks to the series victory in Game 5, delivering New York its first NBA championship in more than five decades.