The NBA Teams That Rival Fans Can’t Stop Talking About
by Nathan Whelan,
August 21, 2025
Every fan believes that their team is the one everyone loves to talk about, but is that really the case?
We dove into over 1.2 million Reddit comments to settle the score and find out which NBA teams are living rent-free in everyone else’s heads.
The Most Talked-About Team in the NBA
| Team | Total Mentions | Average Mentions Per Team |
|---|---|---|
| Lakers | 16,539 | 570 |
| Thunder | 12,211 | 421 |
| Celtics | 8,945 | 308 |
| Warriors | 7,950 | 274 |
| Bucks | 6,266 | 216 |
They may have missed the Finals in 2025, but the Lakers have claimed the top spot when it comes to NBA envy. With 16,539 mentions from rival fans, an average of 570 per team, no other franchise can match their presence in opposing minds.
Unsurprisingly, the team most obsessed with the Lakers is the Denver Nuggets. Fans in Denver referenced the purple and gold 3,452 times, no doubt fueled by recent playoff clashes and the growing rivalry between Nikola Jokić and the Lakers’ stars.
The Oklahoma City Thunder rank second, generating 12,211 mentions from other fan bases. Meanwhile, the Celtics clock in at third with 8,945 mentions. Even after decades, the Lakers-Celtics rivalry continues to dominate narratives coast to coast. Fans may not always agree on who’s better, but both teams clearly still live rent-free in each other’s heads.
The Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks round out the top five, with both fanbases often the topic of praise, criticism, and everything in between.
The Most Forgettable Team in the NBA
| Team | Total Mentions | Average Mentions Per Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pelicans | 2,354 | 81 |
| 76ers | 2,878 | 99 |
| Nuggets | 3,033 | 105 |
| Trail Blazers | 3,035 | 105 |
| Grizzlies | 3,263 | 113 |
At the bottom of the list? The New Orleans Pelicans. With just 2,354 mentions across all fan bases, they receive only 14% of the attention the Lakers get. Whether it’s a lack of playoff success, market size, or just flying under the radar, fans across the league aren’t talking about New Orleans.
Surprisingly, the reigning 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets, fall into the “forgettable” zone with just over 3,000 mentions. For all their success on the court, they’re still fighting for space in the online conversation.
Other teams generating minimal noise include the 76ers, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies, each with relatively quiet online presences, despite some major storylines of their own in recent seasons.
Whether fans are hyping them up, tearing them down, or obsessing over every little thing, some teams just live rent-free in their rivals’ heads. And according to the data, the Lakers still wear the crown when it comes to dominating the conversation.
Methodology
Betting.us analyzed over 1.2 million comments from Reddit across all 30 NBA team subreddits. Using an average of 40,000 comments per subreddit, they tracked instances where other teams were mentioned, factoring in nicknames and alternate spellings. This data was compiled into a mentions matrix to see who truly lives rent-free in rivals’ heads.
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