Each NBA team’s most influential player on social media
- LeBron comes in as the most influential NBA player on social media, as well as the most influential player on the Lakers roster
- Steph Curry follows behind, in addition to being the Warriors’ most influential player
- Russell Westbrook comes in third
New research has revealed the NBA’s most influential players on social media and every team’s most influential player.
The study by sports betting media group Canada Sports Betting analysed Instagram follower and impressions data for the NBA to see who the biggest social media influencers in the NBA were, how much they could earn from social media, and who each team’s biggest influencers were, respectively.
It found that LeBron James is by far the most significant influencer on social media in the NBA, with 159,303,413 followers on Instagram at the time of the study, potentially earning $339,250 per sponsored post. This makes him the Lakers’ biggest influencer, followed by D’Angelo Russell with 3,937,656 followers and Austin Reaves with 1,172,862 followers.
Stephen Curry comes in second of all influencers across the league, with 55,608,022 Instagram followers at the time of the study, potentially earning around $151,650 for every sponsored Instagram post. He comes in as the Warriors’ biggest influencer, followed by Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, who both make the top ten list, with 17,078,693 and 11,868,885 followershard respectively.
Third place on the list goes to Russell Westbrook, who comes in with 23,079,551 followers and potential earnings of $77,350 for every sponsored post. This also makes him the most significant influencer on the Clippers’ roster, followed by James Harden with 11,889,847, and Bones Hyland with 354,576 followers.
Kyrie Irving takes fourth place on the list, with 19,797,207 followers at the time of the study, making him the biggest influencer at the Dallas Mavericks, with potential earnings at $68,750 per sponsored post. Other top social media influencers on the Mavericks include Luka Doncic, with 8,559,428 followers, and Seth Curry, with 2,101,139 followers.
Rounding out the top five is Lonzo Ball, who comes in with 18,355,031 followers, potentially earning $64,900 per sponsored post. He is the Chicago Bulls’ biggest influencer, followed by DeMar DeRozan with 3,428,862 followers and Zach LaVine with 2,468,523 followers.
| # | Player | Team | Instagram @ | No. of Followers | Estimated earnings per post |
| 1 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers | KingJames | 159,303,413 | $339,250 |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | stephencurry30 | 55,608,022 | $151,650 |
| 3 | Russell Westbrook | Los Angeles Clippers | russwest44 | 23,079,551 | $77,350 |
| 4 | Kyrie Irving | Dallas Mavericks | kyrieirving | 19,797,207 | $68,750 |
| 5 | Lonzo Ball | Chicago Bulls | zo | 18,355,031 | $64,900 |
| 6 | Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors | klaythompson | 17,078,693 | $61,450 |
| 7 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | giannis_an34 | 16,070,192 | $58,650 |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | Phoenix Suns | easymoneysniper | 13,430,152 | $51,150 |
| 9 | James Harden | Los Angeles Clippers | jharden13 | 11,889,847 | $46,550 |
| 10 | Chris Paul | Golden State Warriors | cp3 | 11,868,885 | $46,500 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Canada Sports Betting said: “The likes of LeBron, Curry, and Westbrook remain the NBA’s biggest influencers; however, what is interesting to see is the social media influence certain players have above their respective rosters. This can be seen with LaMelo Ball, for example, who has nearly ten times the number of followers of anyone else at the Hornets. It would be interesting to see the effect individual players have on the social media presence of their respective teams with the number of fans that will follow a player wherever they go.”
Ends
Source: Inzpire.me Instagram Pricing Calculator
Methodology: Follower counts were analysed to find the most followed players across each NBA team, and impressions were then analysed to find the estimated earnings per sponsored post
| Team | Top Player | Instagram @ | No. of Followers | Estimated earnings per post |
| Atlanta Hawks | Trae Young | traeyoung | 5,120,507 | $24,450 |
| Boston Celtics | Jayson Tatum | jaytatum0 | 6,702,147 | $30,050 |
| Brooklyn Nets | Ben Simmons | bensimmons | 7,546,220 | $32,900 |
| Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball | melo | 10,325,442 | $41,800 |
| Chicago Bulls | Lonzo Ball | zo | 18,355,031 | $64,900 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Tristan Thompson | realtristan13 | 3,958,819 | $20,050 |
| Dallas Mavericks | Kyrie Irving | kyrieirving | 19,797,207 | $68,750 |
| Denver Nuggets | DeAndre Jordan | deandre | 1,844,767 | $11,200 |
| Detroit Pistons | Marvin Bagley III | mb3five | 1,025,101 | $7,150 |
| Golden State Warriors | Stephen Curry | stephencurry30 | 55,608,022 | $151,650 |
| Houston Rockets | Jalen Green | jalen | 2,446,690 | $13,900 |
| Indiana Pacers | Scottie Barnes | ya.boy.scottie | 611,921 | $4,800 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Russell Westbrook | russwest44 | 23,079,551 | $77,350 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | LeBron James | KingJames | 159,303,413 | $339,250 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Ja Morant | jamorant | 9,786,922 | $40,150 |
| Miami Heat | Jimmy Butler | jimmybutler | 9,915,864 | $40,550 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Giannis Antetokounmpo | giannis_an34 | 16,070,192 | $58,650 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Karl-Anthony Towns | karltowns | 4,265,068 | $21,250 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Zion Williamson | zionwilliamson | 5,352,715 | $25,300 |
| New York Knicks | R.J. Barrett | rjbarrett | 1,122,693 | $7,650 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | shai | 2,679,274 | $14,950 |
| Orlando Magic | Markelle Fultz | markellefultz | 9,123,562 | $38,050 |
| Philadelphia Sixers | Joel Embiid | joelembiid | 7,599,799 | $33,100 |
| Phoenix Suns | Kevin Durant | easymoneysniper | 13,430,152 | $51,150 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Scoot Henderson | thereal0_ | 593,594 | $4,700 |
| Sacramento Kings | JaVale McGee | javalemcgee | 1,615,600 | $10,100 |
| San Antonio Spurs | Victor Wembanyama | wemby | 3,326,007 | $17,600 |
| Toronto Raptors | Dennis Schroder | ds17_fg | 2,610,242 | $14,600 |
| Utah Jazz | Jordan Clarkson | jordanclarksons | 2,062,862 | $12,200 |
| Washington Wizards | Kyle Kuzma | kuz | 5,004,607 | $24,000 |
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David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
