Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals Game 5 Viewership Revealed, Most-Watched Finals Series Since 1998

The New York Knicks' 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals drew a historic audience.

ESPN announced Tuesday that the contest averaged 24.5 million viewers and peaked at 33 million viewers, while the overall series was the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.

With the victory, the Knicks captured a championship for the first time since 1973.

The overall series averaged 20.6 million viewers and represented a 100 percent increase from the 2025 NBA Finals, per the announcement.

Every contest in this year's Finals contained a thrilling finish, as San Antonio held a one-point lead with just under two minutes remaining in Game 1 before New York pulled ahead to emerge victorious.

In Game 2, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's costly turnover and subsequent foul with the score tied and roughly 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter allowed the Knicks to take a 2-0 series lead.

San Antonio bounced back in Game 3, with Wembanyama scoring 10 points in the fourth to help his team secure a hard-fought 115-111 win.

The Knicks then overcame a 29-point deficit in Game 4 as forward OG Anunoby tipped in an offensive rebound during the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to clinch a one-point win, completing the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.

New York went on to win the series in Game 5 largely due to star point guard Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 of the team's 94 points to end a 53-year championship drought.

Brunson was named Finals MVP for his efforts.