LeBron James is probably the most polarizing star in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is always a source of controversy among fans. It’s still curious that people keep hating on him after doing incredible things during 18 years in the NBA.
A recent online study shows that Bron remains the most hated player in the association. Geotagged Twitter data has become a great tool to help identify how much love or hate people receive on the web, and this was another example of that.
According to Sports Insider, the King is the most hated NBA player in 24 states, almost half of the country.
Via the Washington Times:
The Sports Insider map reflected over 70,000 tweets, hashtags, and direct keyword phrases about disliking NBA players in each state — phrases like “I hate Player X” or “Player Y sucks.”
According to that map, Mr. James was most hated in 24 states with only ex-teammate-turned-foil Kyrie Irving even coming close — the least-liked in 18 states.
James Harden and Kevin Durant each were most-hated in 3 states, and Russell Westbrook and Paul George notched one hate-state apiece.
Sports analyst David Hookstead explains that LeBron’s comments on the police, his lack of criticism for the China government and his support for the Black Lives Matter movement have earned the King more hate than before.
Besides, after his attitude during the first round of the NBA playoffs, seemingly giving up on his teammates when the Phoenix Suns dominated the Los Angeles Lakers, Bron has fallen from grace (even more) with some fans.
He’s used to receiving a lot of hate. When you’re the best player in the world and have accomplished so many things, it’s easy for people to root against you. James, however, isn’t bothered by that.
