Team USA’s win against Serbia was a big deal and the TV ratings show that

Though regarded as favorites in the basketball side of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, many expected Team USA to be given a tough time when they met a Nikola Jokic-led Serbian side on Sunday evening. In the end, the reigning MVP and his men were thoroughly outplayed as the Americans marched to a 110-84 victory, maintaining the narrative that they will win a fifth consecutive gold medal at the Games. Meanwhile, fans back home showed their support en masse.

Team USA vs Serbia garnered massive ratings

On Monday, NBCUniversal disclosed its ratings for the start of the 2024 Olympics, and off the bat, it was plain to see that the U.S.A. vs Serbia clash drew a massive audience with the average standing at 10.9 million viewers across all NBC platforms. To be clear, that figure completely eclipses the viewership numbers that we saw back in 2021 for the Tokyo Olympics’ gold medal Game, in which the United States defeated France to take the title.

Of course, those Games were delayed due to the global pandemic which likely had an effect on viewership as well, but the numbers are impressive regardless. As for the Game itself, the first name we’ve got to mention is Kevin Durant. Indeed, Durant had an almost perfect night, scoring 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from beyond the arc for a total of 23 points and two rebounds in less than 23 minutes off the bench. It was that kind of night for KD.

Unsurprisingly, there was also LeBron James who chipped in with 22 points and an overall solid showing amid questions about his age and stage. It should be said that the Serbians kept things closer in the first half but a failure to defend the perimeter effectively is what ultimately cost them in the first Game of the group. Up next for the Americans is a date on Wednesday with South Sudan, a team that seemingly caused them some issues in one of their last exhibition Games before the Olympics, evidenced by the paper-thin 101-100 final score.

Assuming they can overcome the African underdogs, they will take a 2-0 record into their final group stage game against Puerto Rico on August 3rd. Given what we’ve seen thus far, there is every reason to believe that both of those games will draw high viewership numbers as well as the mystique of Team USA continues to enthrall basketball fans