Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3 Delivers Highest NBA Finals Viewership Since 90s

Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs delivered from both a drama and production standpoint.

ESPN PR released a statement on Wednesday sharing that the matchup posted the highest viewership since 1998 with average of 23.8 million tuning in and peaking at 26.3 million viewers. It is a 159% increase year-over-year for the finals and now the most watched finals Game 3 ever on ABC/ESPN.

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The game is also the most watched television event since Super Bowl LX in February.

Record-setting audience of 23.8M tuned in for the ’26 #NBAFinals Game 3 on ABC & ESPN 👏

🏀 Largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since ’98
🏀 Most-watched NBA Finals Game 3 EVER on ABC & ESPN
🏀 Up 159% from last year’s Game 3
🏀 26.3M peak viewers

More: https://t.co/SmfNzDubUV pic.twitter.com/EQaL3NgGYx

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) June 10, 2026

ESPN also streamed an alternate broadcast of the game in conjunction with The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN which also averaged 1.1 million viewers.

Game 4 of the finals will tip off on Wednesday, June 10 at 8:30 pm EST.

Patrick Dowd is a contributor for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77