With the 2025 NBA Finals featuring two small-market teams; the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, it was inevitable NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would face questions about TV ratings and market size. But as he made clear Thursday, he’s tired of the conversation.

“It frustrates me that the first thing [fans] say is, how are the ratings? What are the ratings going to be? As opposed to, wow, you have two incredible conference finals,” Silver said during his annual Finals news conference, about an hour before Game 1 tipped off.

Silver pushed back on the narrative that market size still heavily dictates success, citing how technology and global reach have leveled the playing field for smaller teams. He emphasized that the league’s $76 billion media deals which begin next seasons. 

While acknowledging the ratings topic remains persistent, Silver said it reflects the NBA’s self-critical culture, one that often leans too much on perceived negatives.

“It’s part of the culture in the NBA that we’re self-critical… it seeps into our coverage, quite honestly, sometimes,” he added.

In short, Silver’s stance is clear: great basketball should matter more than market size or media metrics.