{"id":97304,"date":"2025-06-14T01:52:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T01:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/97304\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T01:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T01:52:09","slug":"ringers-logan-murdock-criticizes-nbas-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/97304\/","title":{"rendered":"Ringer’s Logan Murdock criticizes NBA’s storytelling"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the 2025 NBA Finals, much has been made about the presentation, or lack thereof, from the league and its network partners. But according to The Ringer\u2019s Logan Murdock, the problem goes beyond just the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

Every NBA Finals from 2011-2020 featured either LeBron James or Steph Curry, with four Finals featuring both. Since then, though, only one NBA Finals (2022) has included one of those two stars. Murdock feels that the lack of storytelling, particularly around lesser-established stars, is hurting the game. He sees it not just in the NBA Finals but also in how the league markets other flagship events, such as the NBA Cup and All-Star Game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t that storytelling aspect from any powers that be,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not telling the story of the NBA. OK, you don\u2019t have Steph and LeBron in the Finals. OK. Now what do you do? How do you sell your game? And I don\u2019t think that the NBA has done a good job of selling its game. Even with the NBA Cup or even with like, the All-Star Game. Right? It\u2019s always tinkering and tinkering. They\u2019re just selling for the most part, the NBA, they\u2019re selling transactions now. That\u2019s pretty much what it is. Like, they\u2019re selling, \u2018Oh, this person might get traded. This person might get traded.\u2019 They\u2019re talking about everything but the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

.@loganmmurdock<\/a> asks, Are the NBA and ESPN doing a good job of selling the Finals?<\/p>\n

Full episode of the Press Box here: https:\/\/t.co\/UA4txiXFBy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QKD6U6SHkC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) June 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

He continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really affected the NBA,\u201d Murdock added. \u201cBecause I think that a lot of people aren\u2019t giving nuanced talk about what the NBA is and how great of a game it is. It\u2019s legitimately exciting to watch this Finals and see this new crop of guys. But it doesn\u2019t seem like the NBA is invested on educating us on who these new guys are. Why isn\u2019t there a package to start the Finals on like [Andrew] Nembhard?\u201d<\/p>\n

Murdock also compared the NBA\u2019s storytelling unfavorably to other leagues and sporting events, like the NFL or the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike, NBC does a great job of fluff,\u201d Murdock said. \u201cI was reading Dick Ebersol\u2019s book last year and it was all about the storytelling element of the Olympics and just every one of their properties that they\u2019ve ever had. And it all comes down to storytelling. There\u2019s no fluff pieces on these players\u2026I\u2019m talking about from a league partner. There is no fluff. It\u2019s like, \u2018Do you care?\u2019 Meanwhile, I turn on these same programs to watch the NFL and it is all fluff from the league partners. It helps you out. I didn\u2019t know Jayden Daniels that well going into this NFL season. I learned so much about him, just on the pregame show. Whether it\u2019s Amazon. Whether it\u2019s NFL Countdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just don\u2019t have that right now. We don\u2019t have that care on the NBA side and it\u2019s really frustrating. But that\u2019s where we\u2019ve gotten with the NBA. We\u2019re not in a great place. And I do hope that with the next NBA deal coming into focus that we have a bit more of that storytelling and the NBA sells itself a lot more as opposed to trying to put out these little fires that become big fires.\u201d<\/p>\n

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