It’s time to settle this once and for all. We explored the data to determine the teams and players that can truly lay claim to the title of the NBA’s most popular.
It was easier to do this 60 years ago when the NBA only had eight teams.
So, in these days of In-season Tournaments, second aprons, and Dillon Brooks simply Dillon Brooksing non-stop, who is the most popular team in the NBA, anyway?
Well, when Boardroom asked the same question about the NFL and Major League Baseball, we discovered some intriguing insights. Some of them felt intuitive; others caught us off-guard. What is immutably true, however, is that these topics are ludicrously fun to argue. With that in mind, we are NOT about to deny ourselves a good time.
Based on both Reddit user data and market research from YouGov, here’s what we found regarding the most popular NBA teams and players, here and now.
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Most Popular NBA Teams by Fan Survey Results
Based on percentage of YouGov survey respondents who reported overall positive opinions of a given team as of Q3 2023.
| RANK | TEAM |
| 1 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 3 | Boston Celtics |
| 4 | Miami Heat |
| 5 | Golden State Warriors |
| 6 | Phoenix Suns |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks |
| t8 | Denver Nuggets |
| t8 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| t10 | New York Knicks |
| t10 | Orlando Magic |
| t10 | Utah Jazz |
Most Popular NBA Teams by Subreddit Members
Data as of June 18, 2023 via Reddit.
| RANK | TEAM |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 3 | Boston Celtics |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors |
| 5 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 6 | Chicago Bulls |
| 7 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets |
| 9 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 10 | Houston Rockets |
Top 10 Most Popular NBA Players
Based on percentage of YouGov survey respondents who reported overall positive opinions of a given player as of Q3 2023. Includes both active and retired athletes.
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Warriors |
| 2 | LeBron James | Lakers |
| 3 | Kevin Durant | Suns |
| t4 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Bucks |
| t4 | Paul George | Clippers |
| t4 | Carmelo Anthony | Retired |
| t4 | Russell Westbrook | Clippers |
| t4 | Dwight Howard | Free agent |
| t9 | Nikola Jokić | Nuggets |
| t9 | Anthony Edwards | Timberwolves |
| t9 | Vince Carter | Retired |
| t9 | Derrick Rose | Grizzlies |
| t9 | Kevin Love | Heat |
| t9 | Jeremy Lin | New Taipei Kings |
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