All 30 NBA Twitter Accounts, Ranked for 2019

It's a tradition unlike any other: we ranked all 30 NBA Twitter accounts to see which one reigns supreme for the 2018-19 season.

May 23, 2019
Joel Embiid NBA Twitter Rankings 2019 Lead Image
USA Today Sports

Joel Embiid NBA Twitter Rankings 2019 Lead Image

Joel Embiid NBA Twitter Rankings 2019 Lead Image
USA Today Sports

Joel Embiid NBA Twitter Rankings 2019 Lead Image

It’s that time of the year again. While the NBA is almost ready to tip off the 2019 Finals, Complex Sports is ready to hand out its annual proverbial hardware for the league’s most talented social media squads. As we’ve seen in past years, just because a team plays in a big market or has a bunch of superstars doesn’t always guarantee a steady stream of fire tweets.

Most times, it’s the content creators behind small market teams who produce viral memes. You may not see their squad on ESPN or TNT very often, but if you’re not following the Kings or Clippers on social media, you’re clowning yourself.

Our annual rankings are kind of a big deal around the league, so do know that we take this very seriously. It should also be noted that extra points are always awarded to the pettiest accounts, those who talk smack and efficiently clap back at dog avis or verified haters alike.

For those keeping score at home, last spring, the 76ers ended the Blazers’ three-peat from 2015, 2016, and 2017. But this year, we’re crowning a new champion; who needs the Larry O’Brien Trophy when you can earn the universal praise (or vitriol) of the internet, on the basis of your Photoshop proficiency, wit level, and ever-ready Twitter fingers? Check out list below and see who deserves this season’s NBA Twitter championship.

Followers: 2.72 million

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With a team that includes certified fit-gawd Russsell Westbrook, MVP/DPOY candidate Paul George, and Steven “Aquaman” Adams, you would think Thunder Twitter would be a goldmine. You would think that Russell walking into the arena every night would be a viral moment that they own. You would think that Adams’ mystical mustache would have been a meme by now. You would think a lot of things, but no gas; the Thunder leave a lot to be desired when it comes to their Twitter page. They aren’t this low because they’re bad; they’re this low because we all know they can do better. Step it up, OKC.

Followers: 892K

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The Pistons have Blake Griffin and not much else. They do a great job of getting you familiar with lesser-known players like Langston Galloway and Thon Maker, but they lean very heavily on their Bad Boys history and show more love to their stars of yesteryear than their current crop of players. Not that anybody could blame them for it, but it’s something they should look to improve upon in the coming seasons.

Followers: 3.42 million

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To be clear, there aren’t high expectations for San Antonio when it comes to social media greatness. Sure, they’re top of the class when it comes to consistency on and off the court, but when it comes to tweeting? They’re just barely getting by. Not that they would seem to care, anyway, because it’s just not the Gregg Popovich way. Here’s what you get when it comes to Spurs Twitter: a perfectly fine, non-offensive extension of their public relations work, which is no fun at all when you really think about it.

Followers: 2.11 million

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Come the fuck on, Knicks. I know there’s a lot of work to be done on the organization—a lot. But it’s clear that social media is the last on your “to-do” list when it comes to fixing the franchise. While the content is perfectly serviceable for anybody who wants to know more about the team, especially during games, the Knicks have way too much history and too many eyes on them as New York’s team (sorry, Brooklyn) for the content to be so run-of-the-mill. Do better. Get Timberland to sponsor a segment or something. Take Mitchell Robinson out for a chopped cheese. Lean into the culture!

Followers: 1.19 million

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The Pacers are blessed with arguably the most basketball-crazed fan base, but they don’t have the tweets to keep them satisfied. However, they did keep us all in the loop on Victor Oladipo’s progress from his season-ending injury, make us fall in love with Sixth Man of the Year candidate Domantas Sabonis, and give us a whole lot of BOJAN. Expect this team to climb up the rankings next year as they return to full strength and stay relevant in the Eastern Conference.

Followers: 3.23 million

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The Cavs got their one chip, and they will make sure you remember that shit via their social media presence. The term “act like you’ve been there before” has no meaning to Cavs Twitter, and we respect them for it. If you stink, your best option is to stink as hard as possible, make your young exciting players something future fans can look forward to. That’s exactly what you get from their page: the block, the shot, and some kids who might be good in a few years. Solid.

Followers: 1.04 million

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Before social media became mostly a trash fire, it was all about fun. Luckily, the Suns haven’t forgotten about that. They aren’t above clapping back at another team. They’re down to incorporate pop culture references that may have nothing to do with the team, but are fun anyway. They believe in their players, create content that shows how fun they are, and don’ t take themselves too seriously. Give me some stats, remind me that you were the most fun team in sports once upon a time, crack some jokes, and distract me from the fact that you’re in the lottery again. That’s the key to my heart.

Followers: 913K

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I know what you’re thinking: the Jazz? In Salt Lake City? What’s so special about them? Word to Joakim Noah, you might be right. There isn’t anything super special about Utah, and that’s what makes it so intriguing. One scroll through their Twitter page, and you learn a lot about the community that isn’t talking wild smack to Russell Westbrook. Sure, there are mad Mormons and shit, but come on: when’s the next time you’re going to see Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio, and Rudy Gobert highlights alongside a Baby Draft? That’s right, a baby draft, where they rank babies. Sign me up.

Followers: 1.48 million

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The Magic, by all accounts, stepped it up this year by making the playoffs, developing some young talent, and even getting better with the tweets. They let casuals know more about Aaron Gordon outside of the epic dunk contest, introduced Jonathan Isaac as a focused man of faith, and presented Mo Bamba as…well, you know who Mo Bamba is. A young core and a young fan base means that good days for the Magic are on the horizon.

Followers: 878K

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Trying to get high? It helps to go to Denver…’s NBA Twitter page and check out their mile-high content. Coach Mike Malone is a walking soundbite, and even though Nikola Jokic has an “if he dies, he dies” attitude toward most of his best press conference moments, it works. They get deep in the numbers on Twitter, so if you’re an analytics geek and into that type of stuff, they have you covered. Highlights are aplenty, but the Denver fan base skews very much towards fans who think “The Joker” is the most proficient basketball player in the NBA, and will crunch any number to prove it.

Followers: 3.41 million

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The Celtics have been around a long time, and therefore, have done a lot of shit. They don’t waste any time reminding you, either; their bio proudly reads “The Official Feed of the 17-Time World Champions.” Boston is probably the greatest American sports city, and if you hate the city, you’re probably going to hate this page; they beat you over the head with Beantown’s greatness. But if you’re a Celtics fan and love you yourself some Boston, this is your jam.

Followers: 925K

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You can’t expect much trolling when the guy who owns the team is a walking meme himself. No Jordan jeans jokes, no Crying Jordan faces, and definitely no slick jokes when LeBron misses the playoffs and posting a pic of MJ smoking a cigar because, by God, we all know that’s what Jordan probably really wants to do, right? However, they do have one thing that the rest of the NBA doesn’t have: Kemba content! A good social media team makes it known that they have a damn good player on their hands when the rest of the world isn’t doing it for them. It’s a shame Kemba is probably chucking the deuce on Charlotte this off-season; good luck next year!

Followers: 930K

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The Wizards know their strengths: highlighting the positive and not focusing on the negative. One scroll through the Wizards’ feed and the only mention of John Wall harkens back to the good ol’ days a few years ago, when there was a postseason, and zero hints of his unfortunate string of injuries and franchise-crippling contract. What you will find is a whole lot of Bradley Beal, G-Wiz the mascot, and a selection of potential NBA draftees that will get you excited for the Wizards’ future. When the future is all you can look forward to, sometimes you’ve got to just look towards it. More G-Wiz and less G-League; I will watch that monstrosity of a mascot be photoshopped into anything and laugh. Consistency is key.

Followers: 961K

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As a Knicks fan, it pains me to say that no team had more fun playing together this past season than the Nets. Their Twitter page tapped into the fun of the “get silly” Brooklyn Nets, led by D’Angelo Russell. They also tapped into the history of Brooklyn by paying homage to the Notorious B.I.G. with their Coogi-inspired jersey rollout, and embraced the culture of the borough with artists who mean something to our generation, while leaving the glitzy celebrity row to those across the bridge. We see you, BK.

Followers: 4.07 million

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“Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played here” should be in their bio because that’s how hard Chicago goes on Twitter when it comes to those legends. If you’ve got the license to post as much fire Jordan content as your heart desires, you should probably go for it especially if it’s been a tried and true method of success. Pippen’s got some highlights, too, but the Bulls also do a great job of showcasing Robin Lopez doing Robin Lopez things, serving as your go-to page for Zach Lavine doing things no human should be able to do without a backpack jetpack, and Benny the Bull. Lord knows where my ‘90s nostalgia or NBA Jam game would be without their legendary mascot.

Followers: 1.57 million

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Say what you will about the Mavericks, but they’ve always been on the cutting edge of what’s next in the NBA, and that goes for Twitter, as well. If you’re like me, you couldn’t get enough farewell content on the unofficial Dirk Nowitzki retirement tour. And that sweet, sweet Luka Doncic step-back content, which I personally would like hooked to my veins, is how you do social media right.

Followers: 1 million

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Grind City Media has been pumping out top notch content for a number of years, so much so that many of their star personalities have gone on to greater things. More than just hoops content, GCM gets you an inside look at what it’s like to be from Memphis, and a solid taste of the eclectic musical city and its people. From its team mentor programs to its gaming channels to the voice and personality behind the account, this doesn’t feel like a team of robotic focus group members churning out content; it’s definitely worth your scroll.

Followers: 6.08 million

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If there’s any argument to be made about how being the best can sometimes get boring, it’s the Golden State Warriors on Twitter. They are the standard of excellence when it comes to the game itself, but on social media they’re just a’ight. While “Warriors Twitter” itself is a beast, coining the #StephBetter hashtag to troll fans throughout the playoffs, and even crafting some of the best bootleg merchandise in the game, the official Warriors Twitter account is like the Draymond Green of Twitter accounts: a very good player who becomes excellent mostly due to the talent around him—metaphorically speaking, of course.

Followers: 910K

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Although the Pelicans play in the NBA’s smallest market, their attention to detail on Twitter is nothing to sneeze at. One of the few team accounts that actually interacts with fans (or haters) and doesn’t just spit out content, the Pelicans tweet just like...us? Mood posts, clever captions, and a solid gif game, they could absolutely climb up these rankings as Big Baby Thanos arrives for his rookie year. If you really want to be entertained, check out their emoji tweets from the height of the Anthony Davis trade deadline drama.

Followers: 1.82 million

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The Raptors get it. From Jurassic Park, to the surreal atmosphere of every playoff game, to content that speaks to the pulse of Toronto and the connection between hip-hop and the NBA, the Raptors’ Twitter does an incredible job of tying in as many things that make the city special as possible. Could I have done without quite as many Kawhi-laughing memes? Probably. But when you’ve got something good, you roll with it, and I can understand that. And look, we got this far without even mentioning Drake, so that’s got to count for something.

Followers: 4.62 million

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If you were one of many who started having premature Dwyane Wade withdrawals, as one of the greatest players in NBA history prepared to hang up his Li-Nings, Heat Twitter had you covered all year long. From jersey swaps to cinematic videos and everything in-between, the Heat made sure you had all of the Wade content you could stomach during his final run, aptly dubbed #OneLastDance.

Followers: 924K

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All NBA teams are counted on to have the same kind of content. Stats? Of course. Clips and gifs? By the ton. Fit checks at the entrance? Absolutely. But what separates a good account from a great account is self-awareness and a healthy amount of shit talking. The Timberwolves aren’t above petty jabs at the expense of a worthy opponent. A perfect example? This triple-whammy shot fired (no pun intended) at Fyre Fest, Ja Rule, and the Milwaukee Bucks, all in one fell swoop. Beautifully done, T-Wolves. Beautifully done.

Followers: 7.59 million

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The Lakers’ extremely clean and crisp gif game separates them from the rest of the pack. They’re not just firing off clip muted, looped video clips—oh, no, no, no. The Lakers have a specific gif person who takes several extremely high-resolution photos at a rapid enough pace to create a gif so clean, you feel like you can touch it. A lot of times, having that and LeBron James is enough to land you in the top ten of one of these lists. Now, just let Magic Johnson ghost-tweet through games next year, you cowards. You know we all want to see it.

Followers: 1.91 milliom

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The Rockets know what fans want out of almost any NBA’s social media team. Their #FanArtFridays have been a hit, especially because there are so many different ways you can draw James Harden. #FanConnection photos don’t just gloss over the crowd generically; they do a great job of giving us a unique look at what makes their fan base special. #RocketsGiveBack, as well as their own one-of-a-kind artwork made for such players as Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordon, make their content stand out amongst the crowd.

Followers: 1.42 million

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You’ve got to work twice as hard just to get half the recognition when you share the same building as the Lakers. But these are the same Clippers who gave the fully-powered Warriors the best run for their money throughout these playoffs, so you know that they’re dedicated to putting in that extra work. That’s exactly what they did when they recreated Lou Williams eating nachos, pictured above. From American Gothic to The Last Supper, Lou Willville smacking on some chips was forever immortalized thanks to the Clippers’ incredible social media team. And look, it paid off; they beat the Lakers on this very list! Hopefully top free agents will follow suit.

Followers: 1.23 million

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It’s usually team PR’s responsibility to get the fans and public to rally around an individual so they can win an award, especially when the team stinks. That’s exactly what Hawks Twitter did this year with Rookie of the Year candidate Trae Young. When the NBA was going crazy over Luka Doncic and his step-backs, the Hawks let their dynamic young point guard develop on his own time before it eventually became a two-horse race. Even though Young stumbled out of the gates, Hawks Twitter made sure to let the world know when he finally got it going. The account was criminally underrated in terms of creativity, and they capitalized effectively on viral moments.

Followers: 1.21 million

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Social media is all about capturing real life moments effectively, and that’s exactly what the Blazers did this year. An innocent exchange between a star player and a fan turned into a rallying cry thanks to three simple words: “I’m trying, Jennifer.” Sure, it didn’t start on the Blazers’ own Twitter page, but that doesn’t take away from the stellar work that the team over there does. This moment exemplified what NBA Twitter is all about. Maybe that’s a little too deep for the intro, but you get the idea. You’re doing wonderful, Jennifer. And C.J.

Followers: 1.04 million

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Deep down, we all just want to have a cool nickname, and thanks to the Bucks’ Twitter, some players you may not have even thought needed one have been granted their very own. Sure, I’m on the fence about my Nigerian cohort being called “The Greek Freak,” but Brook “Splash Mountain” Lopez? We owe that fire nickname, especially after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, to the Bucks’ social media team. Well played, Milwaukee. Well played.

Followers: 1.71 million

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Sure, a large part of “The Process” has been about strategic losing (or tanking), grabbing draft picks, and flipping them for some solid players. But a lot of that doesn’t happen without the Sixers’ social media. That’s right: clever tweets, clapbacks, and being on the pulse of not just their own storylines, but everything else happening in the NBA, made “The Process” a little easier to stomach as these plucky underdogs grew into actual contenders. Even though Philly’s Process is essentially over, don’t expect the fire content to slow down; Philly is home to some of the biggest personalities in the entire league, including Tobi and Bobi, Jimmy Buckets (for now), and of course, the Big Cameroonian. Don’t sleep.

Followers: 1.03 million

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If NBA Twitter is all about being timely and self-aware, putting out fire content, and listening to the fan base, then Sacramento is, well, king. For a team that’s been hovering around mediocre for the last several seasons, their Twitter game has been without peer. There isn’t a single social media trend they aren’t on top o. From Snapchat filters to Paul Pierce slander, they just get it. Now that they have one of the younger and more exciting teams in the league to watch and root for, let’s see if our new Twitter champs can hold on to this title as their team continues to rise.

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