Clash of Gods! (4K)

"I can't think of anything else that could stop these Lakers."

At halftime, Kenny Smith's words won the agreement of most commentators.

The pivotal Game 5 showdown between the Lakers and Hornets had entered the second half!

Kobe had unleashed a godlike offensive run in the first half, giving the game a dramatic twist!

"Boss, ratings surged again after Kobe broke Hack-a-Shaq!" Adam Silver's words interrupted Stern, who had been watching the game intently.

"How high?"

"Thirty-seven percent now!!! Only 3% away from the 40% mark!"

Stern felt gratified.

This day had finally come.

Under his leadership, the NBA had gone through the Black-and-White Twin Stars, gone through MJ, and now it was 23 VS 24.

Generation after generation!

A galaxy of stars!

And now, it had finally reached an unprecedented position!

Ratings second only to the Super Bowl!

And this was still a best-of-seven format.

If it had been a single-game decider, it might have crushed the Super Bowl outright and become the strongest league among the United States' four major sports leagues!

Since Stern became NBA commissioner in 1984, these fifteen years had been the fifteen years in which basketball's influence grew the fastest!

Stern deserved immense credit!

He had forcibly pushed basketball from the bottom of the four major leagues to second place!

Now, it could even challenge the NFL!

Basketball had swept across the globe, rising from a niche sport with little history!

The entire world knew the NBA's influence!

From the mysterious Eastern nation!

To the scorching land of Africa!

Then to romantic Europe!

And the fiery samba of South America!

Jordan!

Kobe!

Everyone knew them!

Everyone had heard of them!

The NBA's globalization far surpassed that of the other three major leagues!

If global influence was included, the NBA at this moment could already