If you needed more evidence of the eagerness of the NBA’s business partners for Luka Dončić to join the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s here. As soon as the news broke about Dončić’s Lakers debut this weekend, ESPN flexed its schedule to air the Saturday afternoon matchup against the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena instead of the previously scheduled Friday night game between the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.
Dončić has been recovering from a left calf injury and is set to return this weekend after the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world by trading their cornerstone player to Los Angeles. This mid-afternoon game is an unusual flex for the NBA, as ESPN will air Lakers vs. Pacers ahead of the regularly scheduled ABC Saturday night game, which this week features a highly anticipated rivalry between Boston and New York. Consequently, the Lakers-Pacers game may not have the top ESPN/ABC broadcast team, typically reserved for the Saturday night match, nor will it include Hubie Brown, who will call his final NBA game ever on Sunday afternoon with Mike Breen.
The busy weekend could signify just the beginning of an exciting finish to the NBA season for sports media. With Dončić now teaming up with LeBron James in SoCal, the potential for heightened viewership has grown significantly. Factor in possible developments for Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors or changes in Phoenix around Kevin Durant, and both ESPN and TNT could find themselves quite pleased with the league’s attention following this year’s trade deadline. Yet, in Week 1 of the Dončić era for the Lakers, ESPN emerges as the big winner. Although TNT has a Lakers game scheduled for Thursday night, Dončić will be absent from it. ESPN’s ability to broadcast weekend games allowed them to cover one of the most momentous games in league history in Los Angeles on Saturday.
