Wembanyama’s selection by Spurs produces record ratings for NBA draft on ESPN and ABC

NEW YORK (AP) — The selection of 19-year-old basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama by the San Antonio Spurs was must see-TV Thursday night. The first round of the NBA draft averaged a record 4,928,000 viewers on ESPN and ABC, according to Nielsen. This is the third year that the first round has been on both networks. It was also the most-viewed program across television for the night. Overall, draft coverage for both rounds on ESPN averaged 3,743,000 viewers, a 23% increase over last year.