SAN ANTONIO — It could be a long Thursday for the people of France.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs will tip off Wednesday in the United States at 8:30 p.m. ET, pitting French center Victor Wembanyama against Jalen Brunson & Co.
But for the country to watch its favorite son in the Finals, its natives would have to be up at 2:30 a.m. to do so.
Japan has been a ratings boom for MLB due to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, with Game 7 of the World Series last year pulling in 9.7 million viewers in Japan. The Game 6 matchup between the Dodgers and Blue Jays averaged 13.1 million viewers on Japan’s broadcaster NHK-G, making it the most-watched World Series game in that country that was aired on a single network.
But the 16-hour time difference allows games to be watched in Japan’s morning hours. This NBA Finals might have a similar effect if France tunes in to watch San Antonio—even with a seven-hour time difference.
