It should come as no surprise that the Brooklyn Nets have become more popular since acquiring superstar guard James Harden in a four-team trade with the Houston Rockets on Jan. 16. YES Network announced Tuesday that local ratings for Nets games have shot up 69% since Harden joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But even outside the New York City area, demand for the Nets has grown dramatically since The Beard arrived in Brooklyn.
In the nine games since Harden’s arrival, average viewership on NBA League Pass for Nets games is up 24% globally, 41% in the U.S. and 19% internationally, compared to Brooklyn’s first 13 games of the regular season without him, according to figures provided by the league. The average hours League Pass viewers have spent watching Nets games was way up as well, up 39% overall and 80% domestically since the Harden acquisition.
In fact, according to the NBA, the two most matched League Pass games watched around the world this season have both been Nets game since Harden joined the team.
Harden’s debut, a 122-115 win over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 16 where he became the first player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in his first game with a team, held the record as most-watched league pass game this season for a total of four days. The Nets’ 147-135 thrilling double-overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 20, when Harden’s 21-point, 12-assist, 1o-rebound triple-double was eclipsed by Collin Sexton’s 42-point heroic effort, is still the most watched League Pass game around the world this season.
So not only are the Nets 6-2 this season when Harden has played for them, he’s also helped Brooklyn become one of the league’s most-watched and interesting spectacles over on League Pass.