Chasing History: Inside Wemby’s Epic Night
Victor Wembanyama turns in a career-defining performance in a thrilling 2OT classic as the Spurs take Game 1 vs. the Thunder.
The Thunder and Spurs met in a wild opener to their Western Conference Finals series — and the world watched in amazement.
The Spurs’ 122-115 victory in Game 1 delivered the highest average viewership (9.2 million viewers) for a Game 1 in the history of the Western Conference Finals.
The double-overtime classic also drove 1.3 billion views across social media, the most ever for a Conference Finals game and the second most for any NBA game ever.
Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama stole the show with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and “Wemby” became the No. 1 trending topic on X worldwide for eight hours during and after the game.
The San Antonio Spurs’ double-overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to open the Western Conference Finals generated record engagement across TV and social media:
🏀Delivered the highest average viewership for a Western Conference Finals Game 1 on record, averaging 9.2… pic.twitter.com/zbwlQe9OYS
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 20, 2026
NBC and Peacock reported additional details about the huge viewership that turned out to see Game 1 between the Spurs and Thunder. The total audience of 9.2 million viewers was up 71% versus Game 1 of the West Finals last year.
NBC and Peacock also noted that the audience peaked at 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game’s conclusion.
According to NBC, the game streamed an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 2.3 million viewers, making it the most-streamed NBC/Peacock NBA game ever.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 20, 2026
The Spurs and Thunder have a tough act to follow; Game 2 starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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