Lakers fans apparently are the least happy NBA fanbase when it comes to on-court rulings, according to a recent study.
Using a month of Twitter data and tracking negative tweets about officiating among each NBA team’s supporters, a study from Betonline.ag found that Los Angeles fans are the league’s biggest complainers regarding officiating. Coming in hot behind Los Angeles are the Knicks and Nets, ranking as the second and third most upset-about-officiating fans in the league, respectively.
Of course, as Sports Illustrated points out, the Lake Show has the largest fanbase in the NBA, so it wouldn’t be hard to assume that fans would top such a list and be the most vocal.
For the most part, teams with the biggest markets are seen complaining the most on their Twitter feeds, except for the Boston Celtics, who rank all the way at No. 16 on the list. The Portland Trail Blazers sit right at the bottom of the list.
The ranking may make sense to those keeping up with concerns those a part of the Lakers themselves have, especially given that people within the Lakers organization have felt there have been officiating discrepancies in recent games. Earlier this season, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said he contacted the league regarding how little free throws he felt Anthony Davis was getting in certain scenarios.
“I think Anthony Davis getting zero free throw attempts is a little bit mind-boggling,” Vogel said following a Lakers-Bucks matchup, where the Bucks shot 24 free throws compared to the Lakers’ 12. “And it’s something we’ve been communicating to the league about.”
The study follows a late November game at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Lakers faced off against the Indiana Pacers. During the match-up, LeBron James pointed out a few unruly fans in the crowd, and they were swiftly ejected from the venue. LeBron later claimed that “when obscene gestures and language come into it, [it] can’t be tolerated.”
