But the popularity (as for as the North American market goes) is somewhat "phony." And I think the NBA is being short-sighted here, banking more on star power and storylines instead of making the on-court product more compelling. If the NBA Finals don't feature the Lakers or a mega-star on the level of Lebron, ratings nose-dive.
See here. Look how ratings tanked following Jordan's retirement:
I've always joked that casual NBA fans don't tune into watch basketball, they tune into to watch Lebron or Curry (I think Curry's marketability is overrated). The NFL and MLB were smart to market around teams rather than stars. The last Game 7 we had in the World Series drew 23 million viewers, between the MLB versions of the Spurs (SF Giants) and Indiana Packers (KC Royals). If the Spurs and Pacers met in an NBA Finals, it would be lucky to draw 13-15 million for a Game 7. And we know the NFL draws regardless of team.
The reason this strategy is risky (marketing around stars) is because marketability and "presence" can't be taught. So there's no guarantee a player will fill Lebron's void once he retires. It took over a decade for Jordan's shoes to be about half-way filled (Lebron really didn't become a marketing phenomenon until about '09ish. The '07 Finals were projected to get good ratings based on his presence alone, and it wound up being the lowest rated ever). Kobe was kind of cheap imitation. Lakers drew solid, but nothing eye-opening.
I find this disheartening, because it seems the majority of NBA fans don't really care about the game. They just care about stars and storylines.