The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest brands in sports both nationally and internationally. The fanbase this franchise has rivals all others and no team in the NBA has the level of support the Lakers possess around the world.
That, combined with having one of the greatest and most popular players of all-time on the roster in LeBron James, not to mention another superstar in Anthony Davis, and it makes sense that the Lakers tend to draw big audiences both in arenas and on television. And the NBA made sure to continue to feature them during the 2024-25 season.
According to Courtside Buzz, the Lakers have the most appearances on national TV with 39 of their games being featured:
NBA teams with the most National TV games for the 2024-25 season:
Los Angeles Lakers: 39
Golden State Warriors: 36
Boston Celtics: 34
New York Knicks: 34
Dallas Mavericks: 30
Phoenix Suns: 30
Denver Nuggets: 29
Milwaukee Bucks: 27
Philadelphia 76ers: 27
Minnesota Timberwolves:… pic.twitter.com/vMjlmGKdTD— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) August 15, 2024
To have nearly half of your games featured nationally is a sign that, even though most don’t consider the Lakers championship contenders as currently constructed, fans will continue to tune in and watch. Overall, the Lakers will have 11 games on TNT, 10 games on ESPN, six games on ABC and 12 games on NBA TV this season.
The other teams at the top of this list make sense as well. The Golden State Warriors are also extremely popular and, like the Lakers, have their own international superstar in Stephen Curry leading the way. The Boston Celtics are the defending champions and are expected to be one of the favorites to win again this year, while the New York Knicks also have a massive fanbase and are coming into this season with the highest expectations they’ve had in years.
For the Lakers, however, the most important thing is winning these national games they will appearing in. LeBron and Davis give this team an excellent foundation, but if the team is struggling throughout the season, they could see some of those appearances swapped out in favor of better and more exciting teams.
Lakers to face Warriors and Celtics during NBA ‘Rivalry Week’
A pair of those national TV games the Lakers are featured in will be happening during the NBA’s annual rivalry week taking place in January.
On Jan. 23, the Lakers will take on the hated Boston Celtics, who are the franchise’s biggest and longest rival with the intensity increasing greatly any time these two teams share the court. Two days later on Jan. 25, the Lakers will take on the Warriors, who have grown into one of their biggest rivals thanks to the many battles between LeBron James and Stephen Curry and has only gotten bigger thanks to meeting in both the Play-In Tournament and NBA Playoffs in recent years.
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