The Big O thanks LeBron, KD, and Steph for moving the game forward.
It won't be long before LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry hang their sneakers for good. They have done so much over the last two decades, putting on a show in the Association and the international scene. For NBA legend Oscar Robertson, the trio's greatest impact lies in ensuring the league thrives for years to come.
“I think they’re sensational because they positioned themselves where they really helped enable the league to go forward, to get these huge contracts,” said Robertson when asked about the trio’s legacy. “When they step on the floor, it’s exciting. They generate a lot of talk with the news people and whatnot.”
Making the Game Global
Expanding the NBA's reach by making it global is a huge part of ‘moving the league forward.’ According to the stats compiled by Dimitrije Curcic of RunRepeat, the NBA is far and away the world’s most-followed sports league on social media and “has 44% more social media fans than the other four major leagues in the USA combined.”
The NBA has successfully capitalized on the international market. Forbes noted that ‘over 75% of the NBA’s social media followers are from outside the U.S. and the league generated a record 26 billion video views across their social platforms this season (2023-24).’
Make no mistake, LeBron, KD, and Steph are at the forefront of this development. According to NBA.com, the trio made the top 10 most-viewed players last season. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is unsurprisingly on top of the list (1.9 billion views), followed by Curry at No. 2 (1.7 billion views). Durant sits at No. 10 (476 million views), just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.
With Bron, KD, and Steph playing at an elite level for years, international viewership skyrocketed, and the money followed. Statista noted that the Association amassed a total revenue of $10.58 billion during the 2022-23 season.
The Big O’s observations on LeBron, KD, and Steph
As the 1964 MVP reiterated, these three are still must-see TV for different reasons. People put Bron in a microscope more than anyone else, while Curry and Durant are straight-up bucket-getters.
“When the Lakers don’t win, they say, ‘Oh, LeBron turned the ball over. He did this, he did that.’ What about those other guys on the team? Aren’t they getting paid?” Robertson remarked. “Even Curry, we’re talking about Curry now… he’s not gonna be able to do that forever… And Kevin Durant, I think he’s a tremendous shooter. I've never seen a guy that big shoot that ball, it’s unbelievable.”
All three are still playing at a high level. The King is still an automatic 25/7/7 every night at nearly 40. The Slim Reaper is as efficient as ever, averaging 27 points on insane 52/41/86 shooting splits. “Chef” is the same marksman, possibly even better, with more tricks up his sleeve.
That said, they won’t be around forever. Fans should appreciate their greatness while they still can.
