The NBA has always been a popularity contest when it comes to the game’s biggest stars, and this is especially the case in today’s league. With social media governing much of what we do on a daily basis, it has never been easier to track what our favorite NBA stars are up to every day on the court or otherwise. Grabbing headlines, putting forward dominant performances on the court, and even raising eyebrows on fashion are all factors in determining how popular NBA superstars are today.
However, a player’s popularity comes down to more than just basketball skills because elite players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant constantly receive hate and are generally unlikeable around the world. Some of that is definitely jealousy, but the way the players carry themselves or decide what they do with their careers plays a massive role. However, for the most likable players, personality and charisma greatly come into play. A player’s attitude is crucial for people to respect them more than hate them because simply being talented isn’t enough in most cases.
That proves itself with a player like Ja Morant, who was one of the most beloved players in the world before his foolish actions cost him the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season. Clearly, Morant is no longer a loveable player because apologizing for foolish behavior and repeating the same action is not acceptable. The same goes for Zion Williamson, whose alleged affair with an adult actress has lowered his popularity while increasing the lady in question’s popularity. Whether it is due to Zion’s inability to stay healthy or recent off-court drama, the player isn’t as loved as he used to be.
Luckily we still have a host of NBA players that have attractive playing styles, characters, and mentalities that cause them to be truly loved. It is time to rank the most loved NBA players today by tiers until we have the single most loved player in the world. Without further ado, here are the 25 most loved players in the NBA right now.
Likable
Fred VanVleet
Mikal Bridges
Damian Lillard
Andrew Wiggins
Mike Conley Jr.
De’Aaron Fox
Donovan Mitchell
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Anthony Edwards
Jamal Murray
Fred VanVleet is likable because he overcame some odds and became an All-Star when nobody expected much from him. The talented two-way guard was undrafted and did not gain any relevance until his third season, when he won the NBA championship alongside Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, and Kyle Lowry. Since then, VanVleet has been consistent on both ends of the court and is a true winner at heart.
Mikal Bridges will continue to be liked because he has improved tremendously since arriving in Brooklyn. It is very likely that Bridges will be an All-Star next season because he is taking on a big scoring load and also competing on defense. Bridges averaged 23.5 PPG in the playoffs and his improvements have made him a very likable player across the league.
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is a 50-point explosion waiting to happen. No point guard in the NBA, outside of Stephen Curry, can drain deep threes like Lillard and he is an outstanding overall point guard. Lillard impacts the game at the point guard spot at a Hall of Fame level, and he has a very solid supporting cast around him this season. Lillard’s loyalty to Portland and hunger to win a chip is a major reason why he has a ton of fans across the league, although he is starting to annoy some people because his comments indicate he isn’t bothered by not winning a ring.
Andrew Wiggins is liked because he has elite athleticism and has finally reached his potential as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Wiggins has improved tremendously as a shooter with Golden State, but his impact is critical in terms of defense, rebounding, and even shot-blocking. The former No. 1 overall pick had a ton of expectations on him and the fact that he is reaching them has made him a fan-favorite.
Almost every NBA fan loves Mike Conley Jr. He has a soft smile, is a likable character and plays hard on both ends of the court. The Minnesota Timberwolves went after the point guard to fortify their backcourt and that move helped them make the playoffs and steal a game from the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Hopefully, Conley can return next year to make a deeper postseason push with Minnesota.
De’Aaron Fox is exciting to watch because he has a nice demeanor on the court and is extremely quick with the ball, similar to a young John Wall. Fox gets to the rim incredibly quickly and winning the Most Clutch Player of the Year award only adds to the player’s likability. Fox came through time and time again in the clutch and his improvements have made him an exceptional All-Star player for the underdog Sacramento Kings.
Donovan Mitchell is a player that most NBA fans love to watch because he has elite athleticism, scoring ability, and mentality. Mitchell suffered through another frustrating elimination encounter, which took his record to 1-6, but he had big moments throughout the year, including his 71-point outburst for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mainly due to his playing style, Mitchell is a very likable player across the NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is another player who improved tremendously this season as a superstar scorer and all-around talent. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 5.5 APG and almost led the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs this year. The guard is fast, explosive, and powerful when he attacks the rim and he is only getting better. In terms of watchability, very few entertain more than the former No. 11 overall pick.
Other than being a great actor, Anthony Edwards is a likable player in general. He is extremely explosive, improving as a shooter, and always says the right things to showcase his elite mentality. The Minnesota Timberwolves crashed out of the playoffs in the first round as the team showed its inexperience against the number-one-seeded Denver Nuggets. Edwards is the future of the team and fans know that.
Jamal Murray won himself a ton of fans this season because his dominance in the playoffs alongside Nikola Jokic was beyond impressive. Murray has become a legend in the city of Denver by averaging 26.1 PPG and 7.1 APG throughout the playoffs and even made history with Jokic as the only teammates to both post a triple-double in a Finals game (Game 3). Due to his exceptional play after two difficult seasons dealing with an ACL injury, Murray is a feel-good story, and everybody likes that.
Truly Loved
Boban Marjanovic
Alex Caruso
Jaylen Brown
Steven Adams
Jalen Brunson
DeMar DeRozan
Nikola Jokic
Derrick Rose
LeBron James
Boban Marjanovic is very intimidating but is actually a huge teddy bear. Everybody loves a big man who is goofy, like Shaquille O’Neal, for example, and Marjanovic doesn’t take things too seriously. He is a massive player, standing 7’4″, but he doesn’t allow that to get in the way of having fun and being himself. His unique voice and look make him interesting to follow, but he backs it up with a natural character that is simply loveable.
The man known as the Bald Eagle, Alex Caruso, was the ultimate meme star during his days with the Los Angeles Lakers. He did not look like much, but his insane hops put tons of players on posters and fans ate it up. Now, Caruso is a big-time role player who defends at an elite level and never takes a play off. His ability to compete on both ends of the court and strive to win makes him a truly loved guard in the NBA.
Jaylen Brown is not only a spectacular athlete but an exceptional scorer and clutch performer. While Jayson Tatum is the best player on the team, Brown is the go-to player in the clutch because he has an elite mentality and hunger to win. The fact that Brown has improved year after year shows how hungry he is to be dominant and his partnership with Tatum has placed the Celtics on the map as legitimate title contenders. Brown’s inability to come through in the playoffs has been a negative mark on his career so far, but the player’s playing style and athleticism mean fans love to watch him.
Who doesn’t love Steven Adams? For one, he is the strongest player in the NBA and that makes him respected and admired. Second, he has one of the nicest characters in the NBA and backs up his rough demeanor with a charismatic demeanor. Memphis Grizzlies fans want to see Steven Adams healthy against the Lakers in the first round, and the fact he isn’t there on the court is making a lot of fans truly upset, which shows how loved he is as a player.
New York Knicks fans absolutely love Jalen Brunson. He has been an absolute star for them this season by posting 24.0 PPG and 6.2 APG while guiding the team to the second round of the playoffs alongside Julius Randle. Brunson plays extremely hard and the fact he isn’t on the Dallas Mavericks has meant the franchise has struggled while the Knicks look towards making the Eastern Conference Finals going forward.
Everyone loves DeMar DeRozan. He is explosive at the rim, has a beautiful mid-range jumper, and is extremely clutch. DeMar made his 6th All-Star Team this year as he posted 24.5 PPG in the regular season and had exciting moves throughout the year. In an era where players don’t take many mid-range shots, watching DeMar back players down and utilize his patented spin jumper is a beautiful thing to watch.
It is very hard not to like Nikola Jokic. He doesn’t look like much but impacts the game at an MVP level, which is what fans absolutely love about him. Jokic is down-to-earth off the court and shows his competitive streak in a totally different manner. That’s what makes him so unique because he is a point-center with a funny demeanor yet is so dominant with two MVP awards to his name. Jokic has haters, of course, but he has far more supporters that don’t only reside in Denver. With an NBA title and Finals MVP to his name now, Jokic has become the talk of the NBA, and for good reason. No doubt, Nikola has risen in the eyes of the NBA community to become one of the most popular players in the world.
NBA fans adore Derrick Rose because they are reminiscent of his MVP days. Rose was the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011 when he averaged 25.0 PPG and 7.7 APG as the most athletic point guard in NBA history. Fans loved seeing Rose explode to the basket, finish over defenders, and rise as the best player in the NBA. Even as he approaches the twilight years, Rose is past his best, but still, everyone wants to see him return to the Chicago Bulls and see out his career with the franchise, which shows how much fans love him.
LeBron James is in a league of his own as a player who is absolutely hated and still adored at the same time. In other words, King James is polarizing for the way he dominates the game with an aggressive playing style yet seems to toot his own horn, which rubs people the wrong way. The self-proclaimed “Chosen One” put a massive target on his back as soon as his rookie season, and that alone split fans into a love or hate category. Even if James is the most criticized athlete in sports, he has more than his fair share of fans who will support him no matter what.
Absolutely Adored
Klay Thompson
Jimmy Butler
Jayson Tatum
Luka Doncic
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Klay Thompson is one of the most underrated stars in the NBA, and his willingness to take a backseat role for the sake of the team is what makes him beloved by fans. He knew Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were generational players and he played his role as the best defender on the team as a result. Of course, even now, with Curry the star of the show, Klay plays his role yet can still take over games with elite shooting. A humble man, Thompson is truly beloved.
Everybody loves an underdog, and Jimmy Butler is the epitome of a player who shouldn’t be where he is right now. Butler was a raw forward who did not have an offensive game, but hard work and dedication have placed him in a position as the franchise player for the Miami Heat. Making max money, “Playoff Jimmy” is a bonafide All-Star in the NBA but turns into a superstar in the playoffs as he showed time and time again to close out the number one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs before defeating the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and making the Finals for the second time in four years. With the right help, Butler is certainly good enough to deliver a title to the Hear for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Jayson Tatum is an absolute baller. He averaged a career-high 30.1 PPG this season and did so while displaying an array of jumpers, three-pointers, and at-the-basket finishes. Tatum gets it done time and time again with the Boston Celtics and he will be hungry to win the NBA title after yet another frustrating exit in the playoffs. Tatum is extremely skilled and his star power makes him a loveable player across the NBA, which is why he has a ton of expectations on his shoulders.
Luka is one of the most likable superstars in the NBA because he has everything going for him to be popular. For one, he is a foreign player entering a land ruled by North Americans. Despite that, Luka Doncic is an MVP player so soon and he has gathered respect from across the league with his play. Not to mention, the Slovenian truly enjoys playing the game. He is goofy when he celebrates and gets deeply hurt when he loses, things fans love to see. His elite skill also makes him a fan-favorite because he resembles Larry Bird in some ways.
The Greek Freak wants to be the best player in NBA history, and he is not shy about admitting it. But he goes about methodically reaching his goals, improving his game as he matures every season. Giannis Antetokounmpo went from a raw and athletic forward to one of the most dominant two-way players in the world. As a foreign player with humble beginnings, everyone wants to see Giannis succeed, even if he will be hounded about this season’s “failures” and shortcomings. Expect Giannis and the Bucks to bounce back next year and once again become fan favorites.
The Most Liked NBA Player
Stephen Curry
The Baby-Faced Assassin, Stephen Curry, is the best point guard in the NBA. The way he changed the game makes him a fan favorite because we have never seen a player without incredible physical abilities dominate the game like Steph. He is also the best shooter in NBA history and the architect of four NBA championships for Golden State.
Curry raises the roof every time he plays because he can go off for 40 or 50 points with ease. His ability to get hot and nail threes to blow teams out is something extraordinary, and fans of all ages love to watch him go off. Stephen Curry is a winner and a humble person off the court, making him a box-office attraction everywhere he goes. Even as he ages, Curry will have a massive following around him as children, teenagers, and adults simply tune in to watch him lead the Golden State Warriors every single game.
