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The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most popular and influential sports leagues in the world, with millions of fans worldwide following its games, players and teams on various platforms. One of the reasons for the NBA’s success is its effective use of social media to engage with its audience, promote its brand and create a loyal fan base.
Through their social media channels, teams can showcase their personality and values, as well as provide exclusive content, updates and insights that make the fans feel closer than ever to the action. Some teams have mastered the art of social media marketing better than others, and have gained a competitive edge in terms of popularity, reach and engagement. Let’s take a look at some of the best social media teams out there.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic and successful NBA franchises, with 17 championships and a rich history of legendary players such as Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And in the current championship odds for the NBA championship, they are favourites to add yet another title to that list.
The Lakers are the most followed NBA team on social media, with over 39 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook combined, and they are known for their high-quality, engaging and humorous content, such as behind-the-scenes videos, player interviews, game highlights, fan interactions and historical retrospectives.
Bringing the crowd to their feet pic.twitter.com/g7ys8HKnx1
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 9, 2023
The Lakers also boast one of the league’s giants of social media, LeBron James. The four-time MVP and NBA championship winner has over 52m followers on Twitter and 152m on Instagram. Put these two together and you have an unstoppable force.
Top Ten Most Popular NBA Teams on Social Media 2022
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Golden State Warriors
- Chicago Bulls
- Miami Heat
- Houston Rockets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Boston Celtics
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- San Antonio Spurs
- New York Knicks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks may only have one championship to their name, a victory way back in 1958 when they were called the St Louis Hawks. But when it comes to their social media team, they are one of the best around. The Hawks give fans direct access to the team, whether it’s through behind the scenes content such as Hawks at Home, exit interviews, unseen footage and more. They also use their social media to spark a conversation with fans, by allowing them to ask questions and talk one-on-one with their favourite players.
One of the wildest buckets of the year 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8688E61U9D
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 11, 2023
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are one of the most storied and successful NBA franchises, with six championships in eight years during the Michael Jordan era in the 1990s. The Bulls have maintained a strong presence on social media, with over 26 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook combined, and they attract a loyal and global fan base that is largely influenced by Jordan’s legacy and popularity.
The Bulls use their social media platforms to celebrate their history, honour their legends and keep their fans updated with the very latest team news. They also engage with fans and provide them with exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes photos, player Q&A sessions, game previews and recaps. The Bulls also have a flair for creating viral content that showcases their creativity and humour and they aren’t afraid to take risks which is why they are one of the best around.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are another NBA powerhouse that has dominated the league in recent years, winning three championships in five consecutive finals appearances from 2015 to 2019. The current NBA champions have amassed a huge following on social media, with over 31 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook combined. The Warriors also have Stephen Curry on their team, the NBA player with the most social media views in 2022 and over 51 million followers on Instagram.
@warriors Stephen Curry’s a showman ⚡️ #nba ♬ original sound – warriors
- Stephen Curry: 485M views
- Ja Morant: 351M views
- LeBron James: 268M views
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 215M views
- Luka Dončić: 210M views
- Jordan Poole: 150M views
- Jayson Tatum: 143M views
- Kevin Durant: 140.5M views
- Anthony Davis: 105M views
- Russell Westbrook: 103M views
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks deserve recognition for their forward thinking and inventive use of social media. The Mav’s know their audience and give them exactly what they want, including real-time score updates, fun feature content, interviews, exclusive footage and more. They also have a huge following in China and were the first NBA team to create content specifically for the Chinese market. They also boast an impressive following of 1.9 million on TikTok which highlights their clever use of the platform to engage and entertain fans.
@dallasmavs YESSIRRRRRR 🗣️ #MFFL #basketball #nba #theopinson #pregame #sportstiktok ♬ Good Vibes TikTok – Meme des Monats
