Wembanyama and the Spurs drew an average of 2.49 million viewers for their national television debut on October 22nd against the Dallas Mavericks, up 63% from ESPN's comparable opening-night game a year earlier, the league said.
His next national TV appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th, on ESPN against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In San Antonio, the October 22nd Spurs-Mavericks telecast delivered a 7.3 household rating, the highest-rated Spurs regular-season game on ABC, ESPN or TNT in the market since Wembanyama's debut in 2023.
French interest swells
French interest continues to swell. The league said the 2024/25 campaign was the most-watched NBA season ever on French television.
Wembanyama's third game this season, against the Brooklyn Nets on October 26th, was the most-viewed regular-season game in France on NBA League Pass in two years, while new League Pass subscriptions in France are up 54% year-on-year.
Online, Wembanyama has become the fastest player in league history to generate more than one billion views across NBA social channels, according to the data.
On court, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has paired box-office appeal with record-setting production.
Wemby dominating league
He is the first player in league history with 150-plus points, 70-plus rebounds, 20-plus blocks and five or more made three-pointers over any five-game span, according to the NBA.
On Thursday, 'Wemby' powered the Spurs to the franchise's first 5-0 start, scoring a team-high 26 points with 18 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in a hard-fought 107-101 win over the Miami Heat.
Wembanyama let out a roar when he drew a foul late to seal the win and was showered with chants of 'MVP' at Frost Bank Center as he stepped to the free-throw line.
"It's the exclamation point," he told reporters of the sequence.
"It was a hard game, and it feels good to have that relief after all the effort we put in over 48 minutes."