NEW YORK — A case can be made that “Jeopardy!” savant James Holzhauer is one of the year’s biggest TV stars, although a short-lived one.

An estimated 14.5 million people watched him on June 3, when the professional gambler from Las Vegas lost for first time after 32 consecutive wins and $2,464,216 in prize money, the Nielsen company said. He left with the 16 highest one-day scores in the show’s history.

The television ratings also put him in good company. In fact, no television series this season (football excluded) averaged more viewers per episode on the first night they aired. Not “The Big Bang Theory,” not “NCIS,” not even “Game of Thrones,” although all those shows gain more viewers when time-shifting is figured in.

In fact, the initial airing of the “Game of Thrones” series finale on HBO, considered the biggest event of the year in television, reached 13.6 million people, Nielsen said.

The first four games of the NBA Finals between Toronto and Golden State all had fewer viewers in the U.S. than Chicago librarian Emma Boettcher’s take-down of Holzhauer.

Close “Jeopardy!” watchers had a hint that June 3 was Holzhauer’s last show because news of his defeat leaked on the Internet before the show aired. “Jeopardy!” is taped well in advance, and show producers knew for weeks when Holzhauer’s defeat would air but kept it secret until the day before.

It’s hard to argue, however, that the leak significantly increased the show’s viewership. Holzhauer was nearing the show’s all-time record for winnings, and two of the episodes that aired the week before his defeat gathered more than 13 million viewers, Nielsen said.