All 30 NBA Twitter Accounts, Ranked for 2018

For the fourth straight year, we've ranked all 30 NBA Twitter accounts according to their fire tweets. Where did your favorites squad's tweets rank amongst the league's best?

Draymond Green Twitter Rankings 2018
USA Today Sports

Jun 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green looks at his phone during the Warriors 2017 championship victory parade in downtown Oakland. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green Twitter Rankings 2018

Ain't nothing new here. For the past three springs, Complex Sports has ranked all 30 NBA team Twitter accounts from worst to first. The Association remains the most social media savvy professional sports league around and the competition for timeline supremacy is seemingly ratcheted up every season.

Many of the same accounts that have annually been among the top performers are right back where they belong. And the accounts that continue to bring up the rear need to let loose if they ever want to crack our coveted top 10. In both 2015 and 2016, the Portland Trail Blazers took top honors. Last year? The Blazers completed the three-peat. Can squads like the Raptors, Sixers, and Kings finally dethrone Portland and reign supreme on the interwebs? Scroll down our 2018 NBA Twitter Rankings to find out where your team sits and @ us if you've got beef.  We're here for it. 


 

Followers: 2.1 million

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The world's most delusional fan base is the only franchise with a black head coach, president, and GM. With a franchise that boasts that, you would think their social media presence would have just a little more sauce. And don't give me the whole, "they are a losing team, what do they have to tweet about" Because the Sixers' account has been consistently fire. New York has entirely too much culture to not capitalize. Do better, b.

Followers: 889K

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Brooklyn goes hard everywhere except in the tweets. As interesting as a gentrified chopped cheese, the Nets Twitter account could be so much more if they just embrace who they are. Sure, D'Angelo Russell has future-star potential, but have you seen Spencer Dinwiddie this season? He's an NBA Street character come to life and he should be the face of that franchise as long as he feels like it. That game? That afro? That name?! How are you not memeing this guy into celebrity like we did with Swaggy P? Come om, Brooklyn. You're better than that.

Followers: 1.6 million

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The Orlando Magic Twitter feed is pretty mid compared to the others on this list and have gained about a thousand new followers in a year for their effort. They’re out here trying, though. It’s pretty hard to be social when you traded Victor Oladipo for like two weeks of Serge Ibaka. We can definitely respect the wholesome, Disney content below:

Shaq and Penny are rolling over in their graves!

Followers: 836K

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Pelicans Twitter provides plenty of utility to its followers. So props on being a full-service social media destination for your 800,000 plus audience. You guys provide insights, behind the scenes looks, analysis, and plenty of extras on all things Pelicans. But you guys are WAY too buttoned up. Also, I guess we need to appreciate how hard you're caping for Anthony Davis to win MVP and DPOY honors in (we're guessing) hopes that if they show him as much love as possible on the timeline maybe, just maybe, that'll make him not want to leave New Orleans the first serious chance he gets. The Pelicans Twitter squad is going HARD in the paint for A.D. to pick up some hardware. We're talking harder than Rajon Rondo in a steel cage match with Draymond Green levels here.   

Followers: 2.65 million

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For a team that has Westbrook, Melo, and PG on it, their Twitter feed is pretty tame. I mean the OKC Twitter is giving us heat like this for when their star becomes the first player in history to averages a triple-double in back-to-back seasons:

Do better OKC before they take your team back to Seattle!

Followers: 863K

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The Pistons moved into a brand-spanking new arena, going from the ‘burbs to Downtown Detroit; acquired Blake Griffin from the Clippers; and saw some monstrous performances from Andre Drummond. So much material to play with, and yet, their Twitter account is a no fun zone. We can’t tell whether this TL is for other people who work in PR or actual basketball fans. Figure it out, Detroit.

Followers: 3.28M

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Playing nice with the Based God is a smart, savvy move on the part of the Celtics since his curse has hampered more than a few teams and players over the years. But if you're looking to be entertained on Twitter by the Cs, you're barking up the wrong tree. Boston's feed is still geared toward supplying its considerable fan base with all kinds of inside looks and information about the team. Which definitely serves a purpose and shouldn't be shamed at all. Keep informing the masses. But if you're looking for the Celtics to jump on the bandwagon when a meme is poppin' and come up with something clever that will make you laugh, this ain't the feed. We'd describe the Celtics' official feed as serviceable. Lighten up a little, guys.  

Followers: 839K

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They cover EVERYTHING. So props to the social squad down in Charlotte tirelessly posting any and all content related to the court on the TL and all the community work the players and front office participates in around the city. You guys are busting your ass documenting all the good. But you guys are still playing it way too conservative to warrant a spot in the top half of our rankings. Where are the memes? Hell, where are the gifs? You're the Hornets. LET. IT. FLY. There's not nearly enough Michael Jordan on the feed for our liking and there should be at least one Grandmama gif posting per game. Embrace the past and get with the present. 

Followers: 1.1 million

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The 2017-18 season felt like a rebirth for the Pacers after they shed one superstar who didn’t want to be there and picked up the definite MOP in Victor Oladipo. Dipo injected life into Indiana and the team went from -.500 to a playoff run that almost bounced LeBron James and the Cavs. Unfortunately, this is an article about Twitter accounts and the Pacers didn’t do much in the way of added sexiness, keeping their tweets to by the book scorecards, player outfit photos and highlights even when they had things to brag about (beating the Cavs by 34 in Game 6) and LANCE STEPHENSON on their roster.

Followers: 4.73 million

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Two things are true here: 1) The return of #DwyaneWade to #WadeCounty was exactly what this Twitter account needed, and 2) This account has a very specific aesthetic. Namely, a liberal use of black and white images:

Is this for drama? Style? The intensity of vibes? No matter, the Heat took a stand and we’ll give them credit for having their own flare.

Followers: 845K

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Just like their squad team, the Jazz Twitter squad seemed to be having a great fucking time during the team's upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Add in their contributions to rookie Donovan Mitchell’s quest to unseat probable ROY Ben Simmons and the appeal grows. The Jazz are good enough at Twitter that it doesn’t read like a 16-year-old OR a 35-year-old runs the account, but they still shy away from edgy territory which keeps them out of out Top 10 ranking.

Followers: 870K

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I like the pettiness in that fire tweet but I need to know why the Wizards haven’t employed @wzzntzz to do their socials? I mean he’s giving out content like this tweet for free! 

That’s from 2014, folks. The Wizards need to do better!

Followers: 3.38 million

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If nothing else, the folks who run the Spurs account have a firm grasp of the proper use of emojis. As for the content, the bases are covered: decent in-game commentary, not a lot of filler in between, and the highlight: a well shot archive of the players’ pregame fashion. Word on the street is the Spurs don’t have sauce, but these fits tell a different story.

Followers: 1.38M 

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Do they use plenty of emojis? Yes. Do they use the occasional meme? Yes Does just about every post feature a picture, video, or gif? Yes. But what is the feed really missing? Boban Marjanovic. There's never enough Boban. With a roster full of interesting characters, most especially DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers social media squad should spend the summer coming up with as many ideas as possible on how to document all things Boban. The massive center, who was acquired mid-season in the Blake Griffin deal, is a mountain of a man with an equally large personality. Boban dancing with Jordan and Tobias Harris and driving a go-kart around the Staples Center bowels was great. But that's not enough.  

Followers: 5.7 million

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It sure as hell seems easy enough to have fun on Twitter when you’re the second-most followed NBA team Twitter account and netted 23 more wins than the No. 1 most-followed account, but expectations are high for a team that wins all the damn time—even for their social output. Sadly, the size of their audience may have contributed to a more buttoned up look on social this year. Sure, they still get off good in-game reaction tweets but we want more pettiness and who deserves to be petty more than the Warriors?

Followers: 941K

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It’s not easy to keep a Twitter account fun when your small market team goes 22-60 on the season but the social team behind the Grizzlies fought the good fight. Memphis kept it light whether they were celebrating their infrequent victories or trying to inject some humor into a bad situation. To distract their followers from the grim state of the organization the Grizz mix in tweets from players, occasionally clap back at the haters, and keep up with the talk of the Internet.

Followers: 885K

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Last year, the Wolves took a tumble to No. 23 on our list but things are looking up. Minnesota has started playing fast and loose with the tweet button, from flaming an entire fanbase (sorry, Lakers fans) to making fun of other teams in sneaky ways. We’re glad to see the Wolves on the rise in more ways than one. Now, if they can keep KAT around (debatable) we can see them moving even higher on the list next season.

Followers: 808K

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Blog Boyz be damned, the Denver Nuggets love them some Nikola Jokic and they will remind you of It every single time they get a chance. The NikolaHive is well represented on Twitter and the Nuggets Twitter account is the epicenter of that shitstorm. Near triple doubles for Jokic? They are on it. No-look dime out of the post? They are on it. Advanced analytics that shot Jokic is the best center in the NBA(?!), you bet your mile-high, legal weed, Papa John's eating was they are on it. Denver loves them some of that Serbian stallworth and I can't even be mad at them.

Followers: 1.5 million

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Mavericks - Mark Cuban 's boys have always been on the cutting edge of the NBA and that isn't limited to their social media interactions. Wack Twitter accounts always make you feel like you're interacting with a robot or a faceless machine. Dallas doesn't have that issue as they give us insight into their dynamic rookie (Dennis Smith Jr.) their living Legend (Dirk Nowitzki) and his mythical to-go plates from his very fine and very black wife. That's pretty much all you need to keep me engaged.

Followers: 4.12 million

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Bulls Twitter isn't as lit as it used to be because the Bulls ain't as lit as it used to be. Zurd, they'll toss out some quality throwback content like your favorite Jordan moment but you can see that in literally any other account. They also get to romanticize the Derrick Rose era without the unwanted snark that he gets from most sports publications that love to clown who he is now instead of celebrating what he once was. It's hard to talk spicy when your best players still are getting carded, but that's sure to change in the near future.

Followers: 7.64 million

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Lakers Twitter, for the love of God, please lean more into your players' tweets. The official Twitter of the purple and gold is your standard, by-the-book big market Twitter account but it could be so much more. The roast sessions between Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and future Laker LaMelo Ball (don't try to deny destiny of the great prophet, Lavar. You know it's going down), is worth getting lost in basketball Twitter alone. My advice? Keep a scorecard on who wins these roasts, toss in some Photoshop here and there, and soundtrack every single highlight to Zo's "Get Off" because it still slaps. I'm giving you (purple) and gold, here.

Followers: 2.64 million

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In many ways, it doesn't get much better than this for Houston. They've just had their best regular season ever, they have the NBA 's presumed Most Valuable Player and they are in a city where they can pull off content like two white ushers hitting the "shoot" dance without a bunch of Texas blowhards going all "How do you do, fellow kids?" in the comments. These are the good ol ' days right now, Houston. Enjoy them. Enjoy them now before that Golden State buzzsaw turns "The Beard" into a one blade, no chemo.

Followers: 1.01 million

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The future is bright for the Phoenix Suns, as they've got the #1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and a future all-world shooting guard in Devin Booker. The only thing missing from making the cypher complete to become a textbook Philadelphia 76ers-like team of the future is more fire bontent to galvanize their fanbase. To be fair, it seems like they are on their way. As a team potentially on the rise, the #1 job of their Twitter account is to hide the fact that they suck right now. Feel good stories, an emphasis on Booker and attempting to be on the pulse of the timeline is a surefire way to accomplish that feat. Just bide your time, Phoenix. It's coming.

Followers: 3.26 million

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How can a team with the greatest basketball player of all time (debate your uncle wearing the FUBU velour suit with one pant leg up), a human quote machine in JR Smith and one of the best in-house DJs in the NBA (Steph Floss) not murdering the social media game each and every year? I'm going to go ahead and blame Dan Gilbert. When anything goes wrong, it's safe to always blame Comic Sans papi himself and put absolutely none of the blame on the swagless state of Ohio on this. You don't think LeBron James doesn't take this kind of stuff into account when he's making his free agency decision? Think again, pal. Engagement is key, my guy.

Followers: 1.21 million

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Quick, without using any type of search engine, name the Atlanta Hawks starting five from the 2017-18 season. Exactly. The Hawks really don't have much to write home about this past season especially after the luck of the ping-pong balls were not particularly kind to them this off-season. Their most marketable player is a German point guard who reportedly demanded (?!) a trade to a contender (?!?!!) This year. So what do you do when that is the state of your current franchise? Meme it up, big time.

Followers: 901K

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Milwaukee has a perfectly fine Twitter page, but they carry themselves like a big market account when they simply are not. Big market teams such as those in California and New York are usually handcuffed to just recap posts and highlights, but a team that boasts Aaron Rodgers as a minority owner and so many fun personalities on one squad, they should lighten up a little. More Giannis knock-knock jokes and old man Terry next year, and this should bump the squad up the list.

Followers: 988K

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A rule of thumb when it comes to most NBA Twitter accounts is if you're in a smaller market (check) and your team stinks (check) you should be able to get away with more on your social media accounts. The Sacramento Kings got that on lock with enough obscure pop culture references to make you feel like you're interacting as opposed to just consuming. It's usually the teams with nothing to hope for but lottery luck that end up being very entertaining as the NBA playoffs wear on, and Sacto doesn't disappoint.

Followers: 1.15 million

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A great social media account doesn't just accomplish the goal of keeping you up to date on everything happening with their product, but also makes you feel like you are talking to an actual person. Whether they are in season of not, @trailblazers is always on the pulse of what's happening in pop culture and seemingly always figures out a way to the it back into the love of the Pacific Northwest elite. That's dedication, right there. They've put out so much content, you almost forget that they got the breaks beaten off of them and swept in the first round. That's caring about your fanbase, baby. Remind me of the good times.

Followers: 1.72 million

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Having Drake and the OVO army behind you doesn't hurt, but congratulating your recently fired head coach on being a finalist for Coach of the Year is a different level of savage that I don't think anyone expected. Disrespectful or not, the Raptors have a special connection to their fan base that nobody in the NBA can compete with because they have an entire nation on their back. Now, if they can just figure that whole LeBron thing out...

Followers: 1.54 million

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Led by the NBA's best troll, it was only a matter of time elite social media game caught up with the on the court game. Joel Embiid was (relatively) healthy, Ben Simmons looked like LeBeige James and Sixers Twitter was damn near insufferable because of it. They don't take themselves too seriously, and they don't do that wack thing that many accounts do when they are getting waxed and pretend it isn't happening (I'm looking at you, Knicks). Even though they were more fun when they sucked, you've got to acknowledge that even grass grows, baby.

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