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With the NBA postseason well underway, some of the best teams in the league are duking it out to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy, leading to discussions about which club's fans are for real and which are frontrunners. With that in mind, the team at RotoWire.com broke down which NBA fanbases are the softest when it comes to loyalty, developing a 'Bandwagon Score' from four core signals, including win-loss improvement, percentage of out-of-market fans, search decline during rough patches and social media followers-to-overall population.
Keep tabs on our NBA betting hub through the playoffs.
Methodology
The Bandwagon Score is a 0–100 composite built from four publicly available signals, weighted by how directly each one captures bandwagon behavior. All inputs are pulled for the 2025-26 NBA regular season window (Oct 2025 – Apr 2026) and normalized to a 0–100 scale before weighting.
RotoWire NBA Data
Most Bandwagon NBA Fanbases
2025-26 Bandwagon Score — a 0-100 composite of win-driven interest, out-of-market fan share, fairweather drop-off, and followers-to-population. All 30 teams ranked. Higher = more bandwagon-heavy.
OKC
#1 Bandwagon Fanbase
92
Top Score (out of 100)
53.5
League Avg Score
68 pts
Spread #1 to #30
How to read this: Each bar shows the team's overall Bandwagon Score (0–100). Hover any bar to see the four signal breakdowns — win boost, out-of-market share, fairweather drop-off, and followers per capita.
1
Oklahoma City Thunder
92
Oklahoma City Thunder — 92
Defending champs, runaway #1 in West
Win Boost 35%98
Out-of-Market 35%88
Drop-off 20%90
Foll/Pop 10%82
2
Los Angeles Lakers
88
Los Angeles Lakers — 88
Massive global brand, fans nationwide regardless of record
Win Boost 35%82
Out-of-Market 35%96
Drop-off 20%84
Foll/Pop 10%90
3
Golden State Warriors
85
Golden State Warriors — 85
Curry-era dynasty fans still drive nationwide interest
Win Boost 35%76
Out-of-Market 35%94
Drop-off 20%82
Foll/Pop 10%86
4
Detroit Pistons
81
Detroit Pistons — 81
Worst-to-first East turnaround sparked huge new-fan growth
Win Boost 35%96
Out-of-Market 35%66
Drop-off 20%84
Foll/Pop 10%68
5
San Antonio Spurs
78
San Antonio Spurs — 78
Wembanyama effect — new fans worldwide
Win Boost 35%84
Out-of-Market 35%82
Drop-off 20%66
Foll/Pop 10%62
6
Boston Celtics
74
Boston Celtics — 74
Strong national brand boosted by recent title window
Jokic global pull, but smaller home market caps total reach
Win Boost 35%58
Out-of-Market 35%68
Drop-off 20%52
Foll/Pop 10%54
13
Orlando Magic
58
Orlando Magic — 58
Banchero/Wagner core driving fresh interest
Win Boost 35%64
Out-of-Market 35%54
Drop-off 20%58
Foll/Pop 10%52
14
Atlanta Hawks
56
Atlanta Hawks — 56
Trae Young brand, big metro, modest playoff push
Win Boost 35%54
Out-of-Market 35%62
Drop-off 20%52
Foll/Pop 10%52
15
Milwaukee Bucks
54
Milwaukee Bucks — 54
Giannis still draws globally despite team's slide
Win Boost 35%42
Out-of-Market 35%68
Drop-off 20%52
Foll/Pop 10%56
16
Indiana Pacers
53
Indiana Pacers — 53
Recent Finals run carries lingering bandwagon weight
Win Boost 35%52
Out-of-Market 35%56
Drop-off 20%54
Foll/Pop 10%48
17
Minnesota Timberwolves
52
Minnesota Timberwolves — 52
Anthony Edwards highlight reel drives nationwide pull
Win Boost 35%48
Out-of-Market 35%58
Drop-off 20%50
Foll/Pop 10%46
18
LA Clippers
50
LA Clippers — 50
Intuit Dome novelty, but always overshadowed by Lakers
Win Boost 35%46
Out-of-Market 35%54
Drop-off 20%50
Foll/Pop 10%52
19
Philadelphia 76ers
48
Philadelphia 76ers — 48
Big-name roster, but fan patience worn thin
Win Boost 35%42
Out-of-Market 35%52
Drop-off 20%52
Foll/Pop 10%48
20
Sacramento Kings
46
Sacramento Kings — 46
Mid-tier West team, niche national profile
Win Boost 35%44
Out-of-Market 35%48
Drop-off 20%46
Foll/Pop 10%42
21
Chicago Bulls
45
Chicago Bulls — 45
Legacy Jordan-era brand still drives merch, weak on-court signal
Win Boost 35%36
Out-of-Market 35%62
Drop-off 20%38
Foll/Pop 10%42
22
Phoenix Suns
43
Phoenix Suns — 43
Booker carries the brand, big-name moves underwhelmed
Win Boost 35%36
Out-of-Market 35%52
Drop-off 20%42
Foll/Pop 10%40
23
Toronto Raptors
40
Toronto Raptors — 40
"Canada's team" national fanbase, modest U.S. crossover
Win Boost 35%38
Out-of-Market 35%46
Drop-off 20%38
Foll/Pop 10%38
24
New Orleans Pelicans
38
New Orleans Pelicans — 38
Zion Williamson injury cycles cap any sustained interest
Win Boost 35%32
Out-of-Market 35%44
Drop-off 20%38
Foll/Pop 10%38
25
Memphis Grizzlies
36
Memphis Grizzlies — 36
Ja Morant draws clicks, but consistent national interest is thin
Win Boost 35%32
Out-of-Market 35%42
Drop-off 20%34
Foll/Pop 10%34
26
Portland Trail Blazers
34
Portland Trail Blazers — 34
Loyal local base, minimal out-of-market interest
Win Boost 35%32
Out-of-Market 35%36
Drop-off 20%32
Foll/Pop 10%36
27
Charlotte Hornets
32
Charlotte Hornets — 32
LaMelo Ball drama drives bursts, but no winning to anchor it
Win Boost 35%26
Out-of-Market 35%38
Drop-off 20%30
Foll/Pop 10%32
28
Washington Wizards
28
Washington Wizards — 28
Deep rebuild, minimal national pull
Win Boost 35%22
Out-of-Market 35%32
Drop-off 20%30
Foll/Pop 10%30
29
Utah Jazz
26
Utah Jazz — 26
Tank year, light news cycle outside Salt Lake
Win Boost 35%22
Out-of-Market 35%28
Drop-off 20%28
Foll/Pop 10%26
30
Brooklyn Nets
24
Brooklyn Nets — 24
Post-superteam vacuum, fans bailed when stars departed
Win Boost 35%18
Out-of-Market 35%28
Drop-off 20%22
Foll/Pop 10%38
0255075100
Bandwagon Score = weighted composite of 4 signals
Hover bars on desktop for full breakdown
#
Team
Score
Win Boost 35%
OOM Fans 35%
Drop-off 20%
Foll/Pop 10%
1
Oklahoma City Thunder
92
98
88
90
82
2
Los Angeles Lakers
88
82
96
84
90
3
Golden State Warriors
85
76
94
82
86
4
Detroit Pistons
81
96
66
84
68
5
San Antonio Spurs
78
84
82
66
62
6
Boston Celtics
74
68
82
68
76
7
Dallas Mavericks
71
64
78
72
68
8
New York Knicks
69
66
76
62
64
9
Cleveland Cavaliers
66
74
58
68
60
10
Miami Heat
64
58
72
58
66
11
Houston Rockets
62
72
58
54
60
12
Denver Nuggets
60
58
68
52
54
13
Orlando Magic
58
64
54
58
52
14
Atlanta Hawks
56
54
62
52
52
15
Milwaukee Bucks
54
42
68
52
56
16
Indiana Pacers
53
52
56
54
48
17
Minnesota Timberwolves
52
48
58
50
46
18
LA Clippers
50
46
54
50
52
19
Philadelphia 76ers
48
42
52
52
48
20
Sacramento Kings
46
44
48
46
42
21
Chicago Bulls
45
36
62
38
42
22
Phoenix Suns
43
36
52
42
40
23
Toronto Raptors
40
38
46
38
38
24
New Orleans Pelicans
38
32
44
38
38
25
Memphis Grizzlies
36
32
42
34
34
26
Portland Trail Blazers
34
32
36
32
36
27
Charlotte Hornets
32
26
38
30
32
28
Washington Wizards
28
22
32
30
30
29
Utah Jazz
26
22
28
28
26
30
Brooklyn Nets
24
18
28
22
38
The Bandwagon Score is a 0–100 composite built from four publicly available signals, weighted by how directly each one captures bandwagon behavior. All inputs are pulled for the 2025-26 NBA regular season window (Oct 2025 – Apr 2026) and normalized to a 0–100 scale before weighting. All 30 teams are ranked.
Win-Win Boost
35%
Correlation between a team's W-L improvement (vs. last season) and growth in Google Trends search interest plus Instagram follower growth over the same window. Captures fans who appear when the team gets good.
Out-of-Market Fans
35%
Share of social followers and search interest coming from outside the team's home metro/state. Lakers, Warriors, and Cowboys-style teams overindex here regardless of record.
Fairweather Drop-off
20%
Magnitude of search/social interest decline during losing stretches or post-elimination. Measures how 'sticky' a fanbase is when the team isn't winning.
Followers-to-Population
10%
Total social followers divided by home metro population. A normalizer that exposes teams whose fan footprint dwarfs their actual market.
Data Sources
Google Trends — regional search interest by team and key player, Oct 2025–Apr 2026. Instagram & TikTok — official team accounts (Statista / Sportico May 2025 baselines, updated through April 2026). U.S. Census — 2024 metro/CSA population estimates. Basketball-Reference / ESPN — final 2025-26 standings and YoY W-L change. Fanatics / NBAStore.com — jersey sales as tie-break sanity check.
Which NBA Fanbases Had The Highest Bandwagon Score?
Anytime you win an NBA championship and post multiple 60-win seasons, you're almost guaranteed to bring in new fans, which is exactly what the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder have done, scoring the most points in our Bandwagon Fans leaderboard, with 92.
Much of OKC's score stems from the Thunder's three-year run as Western Conference goliaths, dating back to the team's 57-25 run in 2023-24 that ended in the Western Conference Semifinals and included last year's 68-14 title team as well as this year's team that went 64-18 and swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the postseason.
Outside of OKC, the top team on our Bandwagon Fans leaderboard is the one that's employed LeBron James since 2018, with the Los Angeles Lakers notching 88 points to beat out Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the No. 2 spot leaguewide, with the Bay Area club finishing with 85 points in total.
Like OKC, Los Angeles is still alive in the postseason this year, currently leading the Houston Rockets 3-1 in the first round, though the Lakers' NBA Championship odds on DraftKings Sportsbook are much lower (+2500) than the Thunder's (-120).
After Golden State, which fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In Tournament to end their season, you'll find newfound success stories like the No. 1 seed in the East (the Detroit Pistons, with 81 points, followed by the employer of Victor Wembanyama (the San Antonio Spurs, with 78 points).
Like OKC, the Spurs' title odds are near the top of the FanDuel Sportsbook NBA Championship odds board after San Antonio knocked off Portland in five games, with Wembanyama and company holding the third best odds leaguewide, at +550, behind OKC (-130) and the Boston Celtics (+500).
Who Else Scored Well, Fanbase Wide?
After reaching the postseason for the 12th year in a row and having an NBA Coach of the Year candidate in Joe Mazzulla, the No. 2 seed in the East this year scored the sixth-highest Bandwagon Score leaguewide, with the Boston Celtics finishing with 74 points, three ahead of the seventh place Dallas Mavericks.
After those two, you have teams like the New York Knicks (69 points), Cleveland Cavaliers (66 points) and Miami Heat (64 points) that round out the NBA-wide top 10, with New York holding -800 odds of beating the Atlanta Hawks on BetMGM, while Cleveland holds -425 odds of surviving their 2-2 series tie with the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the league's postseason.
Conversely, the fanbases that scored the lowest across the NBA were postseason afterthoughts like the Brooklyn Nets (24 points), Utah Jazz (26 points), Washington Wizards (28 points), Charlotte Hornets (32 points) and the Trail Blazers (34 points).
Of those five, only the Trail Blazers reached the first round of the postseason in 2026, while the Hornets came close, beating the Heat in the 9/10 game before falling to the Orlando Magic in the 8/9 game to end their season.
Of the bottom three teams, the Nets have the most recent trip to the playoffs, reaching the postseason in 2023, while the Jazz (2022) and Wizards (2021) have waited a bit longer and the Hornets (2016) have the longest drought of the bottom tier of clubs on our list.
Christopher has covered the sports betting industry for more than seven years, and takes the lead on both sports analysis and legislative developments for GDC Group. His work has also appeared on ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Continue the Conversation
Join the RotoWire Discord group to hear from our experts and other NBA fans.
Oklahoma City Thunder have done, scoring the most points in our Bandwagon Fans leaderboard, with 92. 
Los Angeles Lakers notching 88 points to beat out Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the No. 2 spot leaguewide, with the Bay Area club finishing with 85 points in total. 
Boston Celtics finishing with 74 points, three ahead of the seventh place Dallas Mavericks. 
