In the NBA, fame with fans doesn’t always translate to popularity among fellow NBA players. Some players dominate headlines, rack up millions of likes, and still struggle to earn the admiration of their teammates and competitors alike.
We analyzed Instagram follow data among 183 top NBA players to find the most (and least popular) NBA players among their peers.
Key Findings
- LeBron James tops the list with 89 NBA players following him, demonstrating that “King James” commands respect throughout the league. His influence is clear both on and off the court.
- Kevin Durant ranks second, closely matching LeBron in peer recognition despite having a much smaller fan following.
- At the bottom, Jabari Smith Jr., Nikola Jokić, Andre Drummond, and Jamal Murray each have zero NBA player followers, making them the least followed among their peers in this dataset.
- In addition to having no NBA player followers, 3x MVP winner Jokić follows few players.
- Some elite talent flies under the radar socially: Highly talented players like Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle, and Kawhi Leonard all have under 10 NBA players following them.
- CJ McCollum follows more players than anyone else (86 players), followed by Kevin Durant (84).
Most Popular NBA Players Among Their Peers
Some NBA stars are followed by dozens of their fellow players, reflecting reputation, influence, and sheer likability across the league:
Top 25 Most Popular Player Breakdown
| Rank | Player | Team | NBA Players Following | Followers |
| 1 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers | 89 | 157,373,337 |
| 2 | Kevin Durant | Phoenix Suns | 89 | 13,712,128 |
| 3 | Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics | 80 | 7,284,533 |
| 4 | Kyrie Irving | Dallas Mavericks | 80 | 20,312,677 |
| 5 | Donovan Mitchell | Cleveland Cavaliers | 79 | 3,878,642 |
| 6 | Damian Lillard | Milwaukee Bucks | 78 | 9,924,009 |
| 7 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 73 | 58,314,053 |
| 8 | Chris Paul | Golden State Warriors | 73 | 11,502,099 |
| 9 | Russell Westbrook | Los Angeles Clippers | 73 | 22,490,565 |
| 10 | CJ McCollum | New Orleans Pelicans | 67 | 1,180,578 |
| 11 | Bradley Beal | Los Angeles Clippers | 64 | 1,267,835 |
| 12 | Jaren Jackson Jr | Memphis Grizzlies | 63 | 594,510 |
| 13 | Dejounte Murray | New Orleans Pelicans | 63 | 1,374,381 |
| 14 | Cole Anthony | Orlando Magic | 63 | 628,325 |
| 15 | Paul George | Philadelphia 76ers | 63 | 9,624,832 |
| 16 | Kyle Kuzma | Washington Wizards | 62 | 4,586,019 |
| 17 | Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks | 61 | 10,831,507 |
| 18 | Trae Young | Atlanta Hawks | 60 | 4,967,359 |
| 19 | Jrue Holiday | Portland Trailblazers | 59 | 861,859 |
| 20 | Dangelo Russell | Washington Wizards | 59 | 3,655,508 |
| 21 | Miles Bridges | Charlotte Hornets | 58 | 594,646 |
| 22 | Tyrese Haliburton | Indiana Pacers | 58 | 2,360,954 |
| 23 | Brandon Ingram | Toronto Raptors | 58 | 2,142,200 |
| 24 | Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns | 57 | 5,541,442 |
| 25 | Jordan Clarkson | New York Knicks | 57 | 2,056,839 |
*In the event of a tie, the percentage of players' teammates who follow and their overall social media following were taken into account.
What Stands Out
The top players in peer follows are not always the league’s most dominant stars statistically; reputation, leadership, and locker-room relationships play a huge role.
Players from historically successful franchises like the Lakers, Warriors, and Clippers appear multiple times, suggesting team culture and legacy influence peer perception.
Some young stars like Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell are already widely recognized among their peers, showing early integration into the league’s social fabric.
Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards all have 2 players in the top 25.
- Out of 30 NBA teams, 6 have no representation in the top 25 peer-followed players (Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons , Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat).
Least Popular NBA Players Among Their Peers
Other NBA stars are followed by few to none of their peers, placing them among the least popular players in this peer-follow dataset.
Top 10 Least Popular Player Breakdown
| Rank | Player | Team | NBA Followers | Followers |
| 1 | Jabari Smith Jr | Houston Rockets | 0 | 52,507 |
| 2 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | 0 | 400,541 |
| 3 | Andre Drummond | Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 1,263,666 |
| 4 | Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets | 0 | 1,981,431 |
| 5 | Jalen Williams | Oklahoma City Thunder | 1 | 626,887 |
| 6 | Kenrich Williams | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 8,027 |
| 7 | Brook Lopez | Milwaukee Bucks | 7 | 88,546 |
| 8 | Kawhi Leonard | Los Angeles Clippers | 8 | 464,366 |
| 9 | Cody Martin | Indiana Pacers | 9 | 58,711 |
| 10 | Keegan Murray | Sacramento Kings | 9 | 96,906 |
*In the event of a tie, the percentage of players' teammates who follow and their overall social media following were taken into account.
*FanDuel currently has the Denver Nuggets as an underdog (-510) in their upcoming game against the Jazz. Does lower peer popularity impact performance? Check out this FanDuel promo code to weigh in.
What Stands Out
- The most surprising name on this list is Nikola Jokić — a multiple-time MVP and NBA champion — who has zero peer followers in this dataset. It’s a powerful example of how on-court dominance does not necessarily translate to social media presence.
- Similarly, Jamal Murray, a key contributor to Denver’s championship success, also registers zero peer follows.
- The Denver Nuggets are notably overrepresented at the very bottom, with two players in the zero-follower tier.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder also appear twice in the bottom 10 (Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams), suggesting younger or smaller-market teams may show lighter peer connectivity — at least on Instagram.
- Veteran players like Andre Drummond and Brook Lopez rank surprisingly low, reinforcing that tenure in the league doesn’t automatically translate into social engagement.
- It’s also worth noting: several of these players are minimally active on Instagram, making social metrics an imperfect proxy for real-world relationships.
Beyond the Likes: What It Really Means
While some players clearly earn widespread admiration from their peers, others find themselves on the low end of the follow list. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re disliked—many of the least-followed stars may simply not be invested in social media. Yet, a chronically online player with no NBA player followers and frequent posts could suggest something deeper. Social media behavior, while not the full story, can offer a subtle window into relationships (or lack of relationships) beyond what fans see on the court.
Methodology
We collected Instagram follow data from 183 NBA players.
For each player, we assessed their popularity by the number of the other 183 NBA players who followed them. The more players who follow them, the more popular the player among their peers.
In the event of a tie, players' overall following and percentage of their own teammates who follow them were taken into account.
Data highlights both the top 25 most-followed players by peers and the 10 least-followed players to reveal contrasts in league influence.
- You can see the full dataset here.
