Plenty of folks have argued as of late that the NBA is in decline. The 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend drew mixed reactions from players and fans alike, and Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green made headlines after he called the modern NBA “very boring” last month.
Former NBA big man Channing Frye — who played alongside Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers — claimed in a recent podcast episode that James isn’t to blame for the league’s downfall.
It’s NOT Bron’s fault!!
New episode of RT out now on YouTube & Wondery🎧#nba #roadtrippin #lebronjames #dunkcontest pic.twitter.com/EzWlVhgORm
— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) February 20, 2025
When one X user expressed disagreement with that notion, Frye said that the user sounded “stupid.”
So you haven’t watched in 10years but blame LeBron lmfaooooo. You sound stupid https://t.co/s2GwSkYXNE
— Channing Frye (@channingfrye) March 2, 2025
Frye was a member of the Cavs team that won the first title in franchise history back in 2016.
While whether or not James deserves blame for the league’s undoing is up for debate, it’s worth noting that James spent plenty of time in the league before a lack of interest in the NBA became such a talked-about issue. He’s in his 22nd season in the NBA and has been a star in the league dating back to the 2000s.
James also competed in one of the most-watched NBA Finals games in recent memory. Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors averaged just over 31 million viewers and peaked at nearly 45 million watchers. James and the Cavaliers won the game in question by four points and thus completed the first 3-1 comeback in the history of the league’s championship series.
The 40-year-old could work some magic regarding the NBA’s ratings later this year as well. The Lakers are on pace to finish as one of the top seeds in the Western Conference and traded for another one of the most recognizable faces in the league in guard Luka Doncic before the deadline.
Considering the Lakers are one of the league’s marquee franchises, it would probably be good for the NBA ratings if James and Doncic lead the team deep into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Securing a top-two seed in the West would probably aid the Lakers in the playoffs to boot. Currently, Los Angeles is less than one game back of the Denver Nuggets for the No. 2 seed.
