NEW YORK – The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, averaging 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S. across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. Viewership was up 84% vs. last year.

There was one good thing to come out of the subpar Wednesday football we got on Christmas. Lamar Jackson cemented his status as the best rushing QB ever. The Ravens quarterback broke Michael Vick’s all-time rushing record for quarterbacks (6,109) after his 87-yard rushing performance against the Texans.

The NBA got viewers for Christmas, even while going up against NFL games. The NBA’s five-game Christmas lineup was the league’s most-watched in five years, with the games averaging about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC,

Television viewership is down from this time a year ago. This matters to Kevin Durant, a 14-time All-Star who's seen what the NBA can do.

As one of the defining players of his generation, Kevin Durant has made it his mission to understand why the NBA's viewership is in decline. In a recent chat with the media, the former MVP revealed that he's "locked in" to figuring out a solution.