Ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of year. Obviously due to COVID-19 and the NBA’s suspension, this list is coming a bit later than it normally does, but nonetheless the time has come to rank all 30 NBA Twitter accounts. This year we went deeper into analysis of each account and really dove into who dominated the Twittersphere. It’s not all about who has the most followers or who’s in the biggest market, this strictly comes down to who is the most enjoyable Twitter account to follow.
This is now the sixth edition of the NBA Twitter account rankings if you’re keeping score at home. The Kings are defending champs after taking it home in 2019, the Sixers won in 2018 and the Blazers three-peated in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Who will take home the crown this year?
Honestly, this was probably the most competitive year since the rankings started. Many teams took their game to the next level and it showed in the numbers, as there were plenty of changes in this year’s rankings. A couple of teams made late surges in the initial rough rankings from the spring, like the Bulls with their Last Dance content or the Mavs with their bubble content. We get into that and much more.
Without a further ado, here are all 30 NBA Twitter accounts ranked for the 2019-20 season.
Followers: 946K
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The Pistons have been a pretty boring franchise for the past decade and that can be attributed to their overall lack of success. They have the worst attendance in the NBA by percentage, but we didn’t penalize their Twitter presence for that. You have two of the most popular players in the game with Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose. Blake arguably has the biggest personality in the NBA and D-Rose is still to this day one of the biggest fan favorites in the league. There’s so much to work with in Detroit, we need more.
Followers: 1 million
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With no John Wall or hope of making a real splash in the East, I understand the Wizards Twitter gameplan. Tweet about Rui Hachimura & get the international audience to swarm the tweet. We get it, it’s an easy engagement, but you still have an All-star in Bradley Beal that needs more attention than most like this tweet but you gotta do what you have to do. No need to explain yourself.
Followers: 1.4 million
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Another franchise that hasn’t really been that good for the past decade. They could’ve gone off when Aaron Gordon was robbed AGAIN in the dunk contest. That was definitely their moment to shine but they’ve done some dope work that doesn’t get appreciated because the team is under the radar.
Followers: 992.6K
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The tweet above is a nominee for the tweet of the year. That was so unexpected and whoever’s idea it was on the Jazz to hit send deserves a raise. GIVE THEM A RAISE IMMEDIATELY.
Followers: 974.5K
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Listen, the Hornets have one thing to do to get in the top 10 next year. Give us another MJ Twitter takeover. The culture needs another MJ Twitter Takeover. The one he did in 2014 was classic, whether it was really him or not. WHO CARES. Just give us one so we can have him talking smack like he was back in the day.
Followers: 1.2 million
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It’s definitely hard to push out your best content when your star player is out most of the season, but it’s probably even harder doing that for a franchise like the Pacers, who are typically boring in general (even on the court). The Last Dance tweet was terrific though.
Followers: 3.5 million
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Let’s get this out the way. We are definitely penalizing the Celtics for the tone deaf watermelon basketball tweet. That was bad and was up way too long before somebody noticed, ‘dang, this comes off as racist.’ Otherwise, they keep their Twitter professional like the organization. Not too much flash coming out of Boston.
Followers: 1.1 million
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Just like the actual team, we’ll set next year the year as the breakout year for the Nets Twitter account. Obviously, the team wasn’t healthy enough to really play off the star players and create content from them, but we’re still going to need more creativity coming from Brooklyn. More jabs at the Knicks like the Kings do with the Lakers. The personalities of the team need to be unlocked more, because guys like DeAndre and Spencer Dinwiddie are characters.
Followers: 2.1 million
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Unlike the team on the court, the Knicks social team improved from last year. That RJ Barrett introduction video was terrific. We know they’re held back a little by the higher powers, but we definitely saw an improvement from last year. The Mitchell Robinson content was solid and paying homage to Melo is always a win in our books.
Followers: 968.9K
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We’re going to need more out of Denver as one of the best teams in the NBA. However, that Embiid vs. Jokic tweet was a step in the right direction. A+ tweet. We need more Joker!
Followers: 3.4 million
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In the words of Haha Davis, “I ain’t never ever seen you act like this before.” Whoever let the Spurs social team free should be applauded. In past years, they’ve had to stick to being bland, dull, and professional to align with their franchise’s persona, but this year they’ve actually shown personality and we love to see it. Welcome to Twitter.
Followers: 2.7 million
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Another account that in the past has been pretty dull and lacked creativity. Ironically, it’s when their MVP candidate left that they took their game to the next level. They absolutely nailed their tributes to Russell Westbrook and have continued churning out great Twitter content as the season progressed.
Followers: 3.2 million
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Listen, it’s tough to market a team that has been terrible since the departure of LeBron James. So what do you do when your current team hasn’t produced, CELEBRATE THE PAST. The Cavs have eaten off LeBron, Kyrie, and 2016 content and to be honest, it’ll never get old. It’s still everyone’s favorite championship to watch unless you’re a salty Warriors fan. Go ahead Cleveland, we are not mad at it.
Followers: 1.2 million
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The Hawks have always been near the top of the list, so it’s a bit of surprise to put them here but it's more of a product of how good everyone else has been. The Hawks have been setting the standard the past couple of years and everyone has followed. They have a nice young core and Ice Trae Young content never fails, so they certainly have the tools to shoot up this ranking in the years to come.
Followers: 1.1 million
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We're glad the Grizzlies got Ja Morant because they finally have a marketable star in the making. All those years of having lowkey guys like Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, & Zach Randolph were probably tough because they were really good players but not marketable like Ja Morant is. We're excited to see what the talented social team can do in the upcoming years and they’ve already done a solid job of making their star the focus. Speaking of Gasol, their coverage of him winning the Finals was wholesome and heartwarming.
Followers: 1 million
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On paper, the Pelicans should be near the top 5 range here. It’s harder to get content out of established players in the league but this team is full of young marketable guys who still stay up all night and play video games. Lonzo and Zion are two of the most popular guys in the league, which means we need more from New Orleans. Overall like the Grizzlies, Zion Williamson is going to be a fun guy to have content on but we need more beyond his in-game highlights.
Followers: 4.1 million
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The Bulls dominated when The Last Dance grabbed the attention of the entire world. They really took advantage of the moment and shined in the spotlight. From the creative content they posted to the iconic photos to the MJ GOAT memes, they capitalized off the moment as best as they could. Their NBA and college mashup videos were also very underrated during the season.
Followers: 4.6 million
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Respect to the Miami Heat social team because they’re the one team that utilizes a meme after every single win. Every single one. It’s pretty hard to come up with that many memes, especially when they’re a team that wins a lot. Like the Cavs, they feed off their history in a great way, whether it was D-Wade or the Heatles.
Followers: 1.7 million
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To be transparent, the Mavs were much lower than this when we first came up with a rough order of the list, but they have undoubtedly had the best bubble content out of the 22 teams in Orlando. It hasn’t even been close. The bubble quarantine DJ sets and Boban-Luka content has been amazing. They’re deserving of a top 15 slot because they’ve made the best of a difficult situation.
Followers: 6.4 million
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Even with KD’s departure, Klay’s absence, Steph’s injury, & Draymond’s health, the Warriors’ have still been a great follow on Twitter. One noticeable thing was that the Warriors embraced the “Look at Curry Man” movement, which is a famous saying by YouTuber Flight Reacts. They even did so before mainstream social media hopped on the trend and that is appreciated. From Steph & Klay on the bench to old Steph highlights, the Warriors were still a great follow in a very down year. They’ll be back though, so watch out.
Followers: 1.6 million
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The Clippers’ video content is elite, probably the best in the NBA, led by Tommy Zweibel and Andre Robinson. If we were basing this list on Instagram as well, the Clippers would probably be higher but this is strictly Twitter, which is a bit more competitive when you narrow down to this app alone. They’ve been excellent all season and their playoff content is going to be great.
Followers: 1.1 million
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It’s time to give the Suns Twitter their flowers! They’ve been the best at clapbacks and witty responses. They’re not afraid to call a team out publicly. Do not try the Suns on Twitter and do not even try to embarrass their players because they’re ready for that smoke. You may have reservations about following the Suns because you think they’re squad is boring or not good enough but trust us, they’re worth it.
Followers: 3 million
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The Rockets Twitter account has had its lows (getting temporarily deleted off Twitter & posting that controversial Harden mask photo) but overall, they’re too good. They probably have the crispiest in-game footage in the NBA and they know how to market their stars. They’re also well in tune with the culture and feed off Travis Scott and content outside hoops. They’re also not afraid to clapback at other teams (see above).
Followers: 1 million
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Watch out for the Timberwolves next year on Twitter. Now that they have two marketable faces with KAT and D’Lo, they’re going to be ready with elite content in the years to come. We got a glimpse of it when D’Lo first arrived. The creativity for the D’Lo trade was unmatched, from the tweets to the the hype video. With a full offseason to prepare with both of their young stars ready to play together, they could be pushing for No. 1 next year.
Followers: 1.2 million
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It’s not a Twitter account ranking without the Trail Blazers near the top of the list. They’re three-time champions on this very list and should be respected as such. Shoutout to Amara Baptist, one of the many talented women in NBA social, and crew for making the Trail Blazers brand a consistently fun follow. For those on the east coast, it’s much tougher to keep track of the west coast teams not named the Lakers, but the Blazers have always made it fun to follow when you’re up at 12AM watching Damian Lillard drop 45. Melo’s return to the NBA definitely helped! Any Melo content is a plus.
Followers: 1.8 million
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The Sixers have been the OGs of NBA Twitter. It feels like they’ve been very good since the beginning of Twitter’s popularity. When they reach into their postgame meme bag after wins, they usually never miss. Shoutout to the fan page (@DidtheSixersWin) because their postgame Sixer content after wins is also elite.
Followers: 1.2 million
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The Bucks Twitter account has quietly been very good for a long time and they're probably one of the most underrated team accounts out there. Their troll of the Lakers after beating them in December was perfect. It’s exactly what the Clippers should’ve done after beating the Lakers on opening night. Their wrestling content has also been fantastic.
Followers: 2.1 million
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Some people might say, "oh the Raptors are so high because they won a title." Well, you do have to factor in the amount of engagement they get but they’re also just really good. They balance creativity, trolling, & know how to capture moments well. Does it help when you’re the NBA champions? Absolutely, but they’ve flourished in the spotlight. Like the Bucks, they also trolled the Lakers for their preseason tweet.
Followers: 1 million
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The defending Twitter champs. The Sacramento Kings are always at the top of their games regardless of how their team is performing. The Kings are the kings (pun intended) of trolling, specifically trolling Lakers fans. They probably incorporate trending memes the best out of all the teams in the league and are worth the follow no matter how good (or bad) the team is. They’re not even afraid to roast themselves sometimes.
Followers: 8.9 million
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Folks, we have a new No. 1. It is well-deserved because we're not sure anybody had a harder job than the Lakers social team this season. The Lakers took the spotlight as the face of the NBA once again after they traded for Anthony Davis, which brougth pressure right from the jump. Obviously, we lost the legend, the icon, & face of the franchise in Kobe Bryant earlier this year. We had the Lakers team No. 1 going into the new year but their tributes to Kobe Bryant were simply fantastic. We don’t think they could’ve done a better job of honoring Kobe. From the photos, to the montages, to the in-game highlights, they nailed it. We could be wrong but the tweet linked above might be the biggest tweet in NBA history. Bravo.
