Starting 5 was terminated after two seasons, as confirmed by the Sports Business Journal.
The documentary series began in 2024 and followed five NBA players across their regular season routines.
The cameras showed moments in locker rooms, travel days, training sessions and quiet scenes from the athletes’ lives when they were away from the field.
The first season featured LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards and Domantas Sabonis. Even with famous players, the series did not attract a strong viewership.
Data shared by What’s on Netflix showed that season 1 collected 4.6 million views from July to December 2024, while the following months brought in close to 1 million views.
Industry reports compared these numbers to other sports projects on the same platform.
However, Quarterback reached 12.7 million views during its early release window. F1 Drive to Survive reached 10.4 million views.
Both shows maintained a constant presence in the weekly Top Ten rankings as Starting 5 did not appear in these charts in either season.
Figures for season two have not been released at the time of the report, and the lack of chart placement suggested limited audience reach.
The decision came as the platform continued to expand its sports content.
The company has invested in athlete-focused stories and competition-based projects and had used viewership as a guide for future renewals.
In addition Starting 5 offered full season access to NBA players and added another title to the growing list of sports documentaries.
