Top Five Fan Bases in the NBA

These Fan Bases Win the NBA Award for Being the Most Loyal and Electrifying.

Loyalty Beyond Everything

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has 30 teams, equally divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences. Each NBA fan base is unique, with some much more rabid than others.

That’s due in large part to the success of certain teams, as a winning history tends to create a more passionate group of fans. That’s not just in the home market of a particular team, but also as they travel throughout the league.

There’s the worldwide appeal as well, as the NBA, along with the other major professional leagues in North America, has been dedicated to growing its brand on different continents. The NBA, through its Global Games, has played preseason and regular-season games in venues including (alphabetically) Bahamas, Brazil, China (surviving that tweet by then-Houston Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey), Dominican Republic, England. France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, the Soviet Union, and the United Arab Emirates, among other locales.

The league also broadcasts to many of those same venues, hawking both the product and the merchandise in between the constant rotation of NBA scores during the games.

While declining ratings have plagued the league recently, there’s still any number of well- established teams with well-established fan bases. Here are a few of the best…

Who Has the Largest Fan Base in the NBA?

It’s no secret that when perusing NBA news during the season, it’s the Boston Celtics with the largest fan base in the league. Boston is the defending champion, winning its league-best 18th title in the 2023-24 season. Boston is annually one of the betting favorites to end with the best record during the season and subsequently win the championship. Fans who are students of the history of the league are familiar with the Celtic dynasty of the 1950s and 1960s, along with their resurrection in the 1980s. Names such as Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird are just some of the greats who’ve graced Boston Garden’s parquet floor.

Boston is also a favorite among those who make NBA picks and predictions.
Do not discount the Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers and their 17 all-time titles, the Golden State Warriors, the Chicago Bulls (though no longer with that Jordan guy), the title-hungry fans of the New York Knickerbockers (who last won in 1973), and Philadelphia 76ers (who last won a decade after that).

What Is the Least Popular NBA Team?

One doesn’t need to scour the NBA rumors to find the teams that are the least popular. Instead, just look at the standings, Find moribund franchises such as the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards in the East, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz in the West. It’s not as if they’re playing before empty houses, but these teams with lottery-type odds to win a title, do not have nearly the ability to recruit elite players via free agency nor the fan loyalty of marquee teams with legit shots to win the title.

Who Is the NBA’s Greatest Fan?

NBA standings notwithstanding, all 30 of the teams have fans of some renown. They include former presidents and other politicians, award-winning actors, and actresses, famous athletes in other sports, and rap artists.

So, “Who’s the greatest?” (it’s not Muhammad Ali, at least not here) would depend on the individual team. During your next visit to the arena, look at the courtside seats to see who’s there supporting their team among the NBA fan bases.   

Where Is the NBA Most Popular?

It obviously stands to reason the league’s popularity increases in North America (specifically the United States) during the NBA playoffs, when the best teams go after the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Competition is fierce, and no one uses “load management” as an excuse to not play.

Any Final Thoughts?

With as many as 15 NBA games today on a given slate, the league can be busy during the season. That offers a chance to have its fans slap on the merchandise, scream at the referees, and get their teams across the finish line.