The NBA and ABC are taking heat for Thursday night’s presentation of the NBA Finals showdown between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The contest probably turned out a lot better than folks expected, given Tyrese Haliburton’s late-game heroics. But fans were pretty upset over what happened before tipoff.
The national anthem wasn’t shown during the broadcast, which was surprising given the magnitude of the event.
Despite the finals lacking big-market teams, Game 1 was still expected to attract many viewers. The national anthem was also expected to be a prominent feature before tipoff, which was not the case, leading to rife criticism online.
NBA Fans Call Out NBA Pregame Show Over Failure To Show National Anthem And Other Staples
Many fans thought the entire pregame affair was wack, taking to social media to call it out.
“It’s the NBA Finals and the NBA didn’t even show the National Anthem, Pre-Game intros, no logo on court or jerseys. These are little things but they’re so important for the experience,” one wrote.
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It’s the NBA Finals and the NBA didn’t even show the National Anthem, Pre-Game intros, no logo on court or jerseys. These are little things but they’re so important for the experience.
— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) June 6, 2025
“@NBA BRING BACK THE OLD NBA FINALS. Logos on the floor, national anthem, player intros. It just felt like any other nba game to me,” said another.
@NBA BRING BACK THE OLD NBA FINALS. Logos on the floor, national anthem, player intros. It just felt like any other nba game to me
— Alex Navasartian (@AlexNavasartian) June 6, 2025
“Why on earth did ABC not show the national anthem or warmup just went from 5 minutes of commercials straight into the game no build up at all like cmon guys this is the finals,” another user shared.
Why on earth did ABC not show the national anthem or warmup just went from 5 minutes of commercials straight into the game no build up at all like cmon guys this is the finals
— Hugh (@HburnsJr4) June 6, 2025
As mentioned above, the game itself was a terrific watch. Haliburton hit a clutch go-ahead shot to seal a win for the underdog Pacers with 0.3 seconds left, stealing Game 1 on the road.
Game 2 will take place on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see whether the national anthem is included in the broadcast.
