This year’s NBA draft scored big for ESPN.
Thursday night’s draft snared a 3.1 overnight rating on ESPN, the best-ever number for an NBA draft on ESPN since the all-sports cable network first started airing the draft in 2003.
Back then, the telecast netted a 2.7. Future NBA superstars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were among the roster of players chosen that year (top pick James went to Cleveland; Anthony was chosen by Denver).
Thursday night’s draft saw Cleveland, with the number-one pick, choose Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins. The telecast was up a whopping 19 percent over last year.