The NBA Teams with the Biggest Celebrity Fans

Who are the biggest fans of the NBA? Certainly the greatest number of NBA fans tends to be in the U.S. — out around Colorado, along the west coast, on the east coast, around the Great Lakes, and in the south around Texas. And then there’s China and the area around Toronto. So that’s where the biggest NBA fans tend to be — where the numbers are. In those areas, games are more of a spectacle: music, lights, performances, and plenty of merchandise. 

But do the teams with the most fans tend to be the winning teams? Basically yes. So in this regard, you certainly can judge a team by its fans. But that’s not the only way you should judge a team, because some fans stay put out of loyalty, even if their team hasn’t won a championship in decades. (We’re looking at you, Knicks.)

So, how else should you determine the best teams? More so than following the fans, the best way to find out who will be the team to root for this NBA season is by following the latest commentary, analysis, and statistics online, and getting into the action by guessing the favorites. Whether if it is for point spreads, totals, moneylines, player and team props, or division, sites like Foxbet offer a wide range of options.

But one thing you can’t rely on is judging the best teams by which big-name celebrity is their number one fan. Sure, this applies if a celebrity supports the Lakers or the Raptors, but it certainly doesn’t apply when they support the Knicks. (And there are a lot of celebrities who support the Knicks, as you’ll see below.)

Here are some of the NBA teams with the biggest celebrity fans:

The Los Angeles Lakers

Being based in L.A., the Lakers have no shortage of celebrity fans. (Although some do support the Clippers, like actor Billy Crystal.) Two of the biggest celebrity fans of the Lakers are definitely actors Denzel Washington and Jack Nicholson. They have both been longtime supporters of the team and are frequently seen attending the games.

The Lakers biggest player right now is, without a doubt, LeBron James. For celebrities who tend to follow their favorite stars instead of teams, he is the man to follow. And wherever James goes, Rihanna follows. Rihanna isn’t a strict fan of any one team in the NBA — her current favorite team is whichever team he currently happens to be playing for.

The Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have a long list of celebrity fans, from all walks of life: musicians, actors, athletes. Perhaps two of the biggest fans are Drake, a Toronto native and world-renowned rapper, singer, and actor; and Wayne Gretzky, arguably the best NHL player of all time.

While Gretzky tends to be a quieter fan, Drake is perhaps one of the most well-known NBA fans in the entire league because of how involved he is. He even has several NBA tattoos. So it’s pretty safe to say that Drake is, by far, the NBA’s biggest fan.

The New York Knicks

Many celebrities who call New York City home are fans of the Knicks, like director Woody Allen, comedian Howard Stern, singer Alicia Keys, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and comedian Jon Stewart. (You might think Jay Z would support the Knicks, but he’s a loyal Brooklyn Nets fan.)

Spike Lee is another well-known Knicks fan. In fact, he’s so passionate about the game that he often can’t keep his comments to himself — ESPN even focused on him in one of their documentaries over his infamous outburst over Reggie Miller.

Although certainly not one of the most well-known celebrities on this list, Michael Rapaport, an actor and comedian born and raised in NYC, is a huge fan of the Knicks. He’s not only majorly vocal about his love for the Knicks, but he even directed a film about their 1970 championship win for ESPN (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival).

The NBA certainly has no shortage of fans — celebrities or otherwise.