Record overnight rating for NBA draft on ESPN

The NBA draft delivered its highest rating on ESPN, surpassing the mark set 11 years ago when LeBron James was the No. 1 pick. The telecast Thursday night from Brooklyn, New York had a 3.1 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. That’s a 19 percent increase from last year’s 2.6 mark. The previous record for the draft was a 2.7 overnight in 2003, the first year the network televised it. James was the first pick that year in a top five that included Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. NBA Digital also said Friday it showed record growth in the U.S., with a 108 percent jump in mobile application unique users for the week. – Associated Press