Fanbase Intensity

The depth, loyalty, and on-the-ground heat of the fanbase — not just market size.

30entities ranked

Fanbase Intensity Leaderboard

#	Entity	Score	Reasoning
	New York Knicksfranchise	95	The Knicks sell out Madison Square Garden consistently despite decades of playoff futility, maintain the NBA's highest franchise valuation driven by fan loyalty, and generate intense national media attention even during losing seasons.
	Los Angeles Lakersfranchise	95	The Lakers maintain one of the NBA's most passionate and loyal fanbases with consistent sellouts even during rebuilding years, a massive global following, and celebrity-studded home games that reflect deep cultural penetration beyond just basketball success.
	Boston Celticsfranchise	95	The Celtics have sold out over 500 consecutive home games spanning multiple decades, maintained intense loyalty through rebuilding periods, and possess one of the most historically devoted fanbases with deep generational roots and national following.
4	Chicago Bullsfranchise	85	The Bulls maintain exceptional attendance and loyalty rooted in the Jordan dynasty, consistently selling out United Center and drawing strong road crowds even during extended playoff droughts from 1998-2021, demonstrating fanbase depth that transcends recent performance.
5	Philadelphia 76ersfranchise	82	The 76ers maintain one of the NBA's most passionate and loyal fanbases, selling out Wells Fargo Center consistently even through 'The Process' tanking years (2013-2016), with a rabid local following that travels well and creates intense playoff atmospheres, though lacking the multi-generational national reach of the top-tier zealotry franchises.
5	Oklahoma City Thunderfranchise	82	Oklahoma City has demonstrated exceptional fanbase loyalty with 500+ consecutive sellouts spanning both competitive and rebuilding years, intense home atmosphere ('Loud City'), and strong community identity despite being a small market.
5	Golden State Warriorsfranchise	82	Warriors demonstrated exceptional fanbase loyalty through decades of losing (1977-2014 drought), maintained sellout streaks during championship years, and built one of the NBA's loudest home-court advantages at Oracle/Chase Center, though recent struggles with attendance during down years and corporate crowd concerns keep them below zealotry tier.
5	Portland Trail Blazersfranchise	82	Portland has sold out over 800 consecutive home games spanning from 1977 through 2019 (including multiple losing seasons), demonstrating exceptional loyalty in a small market with minimal bandwagon effect and strong road presence.
9	Sacramento Kingsfranchise	78	Sacramento fans maintained sellout streaks and intense loyalty through a historic 16-year playoff drought (2006-2022), demonstrating rare devotion that persisted despite prolonged losing, with consistent arena atmosphere and 'small market, big loyalty' reputation.
9	Toronto Raptorsfranchise	78	The Raptors have cultivated an intensely loyal national Canadian fanbase that consistently sells out Scotiabank Arena (19,800 capacity) and travels well, maintaining strong attendance even during rebuilding periods, though lacking the multi-generational depth of top-tier franchises.
9	Miami Heatfranchise	78	Miami Heat maintains strong attendance and passionate local support anchored by Latin American fanbase and Heat Culture identity, though intensity dips noticeably during losing periods as seen in mid-2000s and 2007-2008 attendance drops.
9	San Antonio Spursfranchise	78	The Spurs maintained consistent sellout streaks and strong attendance through two decades of success, but recent rebuilding years have shown some softening in intensity and national profile compared to the dynasty era, placing them in the upper Deep range below the Zealotry tier.
13	Milwaukee Bucksfranchise	72	Milwaukee has a dedicated local fanbase that fills Fiserv Forum during competitive years and showed strong support during the 2021 championship run, but historically struggled with attendance during losing periods in the 1990s and early 2000s, and lacks the national fervor or multi-generational sellout culture of top-tier fanbases.
13	Dallas Mavericksfranchise	72	The Mavericks have a stable, passionate local fanbase anchored by the Dirk Nowitzki era legacy and strong Hispanic community support, with consistent attendance during winning periods but notable drops during losing stretches, placing them above conditional support but below the consistently packed arenas of Deep-tier franchises.
15	Denver Nuggetsfranchise	68	Denver has a stable, passionate local fanbase that fills Ball Arena consistently during competitive years, but lacks the national following and struggles with attendance during prolonged losing periods, as evidenced by bottom-third attendance during pre-Jokić rebuilding years.
15	Detroit Pistonsfranchise	68	Detroit has a historically passionate fanbase that filled The Palace during the Bad Boys and mid-2000s championship eras, but attendance has significantly declined during the prolonged rebuild (2009-present), indicating a fanbase that is stable and loyal to the city's basketball history but lacks the intensity to sustain sellouts through extended losing.
15	Cleveland Cavaliersfranchise	68	Cleveland demonstrates strong loyalty during LeBron eras with sellouts and intense support, but attendance and enthusiasm have historically cratered during his absences (2010-2014 saw significant drops, and post-2018 struggles), indicating a fanbase that is stable locally but lacks the sustained intensity through prolonged losing periods that defines Deep or Zealotry tiers.
15	Utah Jazzfranchise	68	The Utah Jazz maintain a stable, passionate local fanbase that consistently supports the team, but lack the national following or sellout intensity through prolonged losing periods that would elevate them to Deep tier.
15	Houston Rocketsfranchise	68	Houston has a stable local fanbase that supported the team well during the Harden era and championship years, but attendance and intensity have notably declined during recent rebuilding seasons, lacking the sellout consistency through bad times that defines deeper fanbases.
15	Phoenix Sunsfranchise	68	Phoenix has a dedicated local fanbase that fills the arena during competitive years and maintains decent support during playoff droughts, but lacks the national fervor or sellout consistency through extended losing periods that would elevate them to Deep tier.
15	Memphis Grizzliesfranchise	68	Memphis has cultivated a passionate local fanbase with strong 'Grit and Grind' era loyalty and consistent home attendance during competitive years, but lacks the national profile and struggles with attendance during rebuilding periods, placing them in the upper Solid range.
22	Los Angeles Clippersfranchise	52	Despite sharing the Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers and recent competitive success, the Clippers have historically struggled with attendance during losing periods and lack the deep-rooted loyalty or national following of their arena co-tenant, with fanbase intensity clearly tied to on-court performance.
22	Orlando Magicfranchise	52	Orlando's fanbase shows strong engagement during competitive years (Shaq/Penny era, Dwight Howard era) but has struggled with attendance and intensity during prolonged rebuilding periods, with the Amway Center often showing empty seats in down years despite being a mid-sized market.
22	Brooklyn Netsfranchise	52	The Brooklyn Nets have struggled with attendance and fan intensity during losing periods, with the fanbase largely energized only during the Harden-Durant-Irving era and previous playoff runs, lacking the deep-rooted loyalty seen in legacy franchises.
22	Indiana Pacersfranchise	52	The Pacers have a loyal core fanbase in Indianapolis but attendance and intensity have historically fluctuated with team performance, struggling to maintain sellouts during losing seasons and lacking the road presence or national fervor of higher-tier fanbases.
26	Atlanta Hawksfranchise	48	Atlanta Hawks attendance and fan engagement have historically fluctuated significantly with team performance, with the franchise struggling to maintain consistent sellouts even during playoff runs, and showing notably weak attendance during losing seasons despite being in a large market.
26	Charlotte Hornetsfranchise	48	Charlotte's fanbase shows enthusiasm during competitive years but has struggled with attendance during losing stretches, ranking in the bottom third of the league in attendance multiple seasons, and lacks the sustained sellout culture or national following of higher-tier franchises.
26	Washington Wizardsfranchise	48	The Wizards have struggled with attendance and fan engagement during losing periods, ranking in the bottom third of NBA attendance in recent down years, with a fanbase that shows energy primarily during playoff runs or star player eras (Wall, Beal) but lacks the sustained intensity seen in deeper markets.
26	Minnesota Timberwolvesfranchise	48	The Timberwolves have historically struggled with attendance during their many losing seasons, ranking near the bottom of the league in attendance for extended periods, with fan engagement spiking primarily during playoff runs like 2004 and the recent Edwards era.
30	New Orleans Pelicansfranchise	42	The Pelicans have struggled with attendance throughout their history, ranking in the bottom third of the league in attendance even during playoff seasons, and the fanbase has shown limited loyalty during losing stretches with frequent blackouts and empty seats.