Study labels LeBron James the most hated player in the NBA

Throughout his NBA career, LeBron James has proven to be polarizing on and off the court. Like most legendary athletes, fans either love him or hate him without too much commentary that falls in-between.

According to recent social media analysis conducted by BetOnline, James received more hate tweets than any other player in the NBA. And not just more, but A LOT more.

Through trends software, BetOnline tracked negative mentions of NBA players from the last 30 days using keywords and phrases such as “I hate (insert player)” and “f**k (insert player),” among other searches.

Sitting atop the list of NBA players who receive the most negative tweets by this methodology was James (seen at top at Summer League in 2019) with 108,036. That’s nearly three times that of Kevin Durant, who ranked second with 39,261 not-so-kind mentions. The top seven were players from the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, as seen in the graphic below.

While the data is interesting and James certainly has no shortage of detractors, his fans still outweigh the critics. Despite the graphic from BetOnline depicting James as the NBA’s most hated player, it’s highly likely that the 37-year-old superstar also receives the most celebratory mentions on social media.

James is in his 19th year in the league, and most NBA fans still can’t get enough of watching him. As of March 5, six of the NBA’s top 25 most-watched games this season featured the Lakers, proving James is still a national TV draw even when his team is underperforming.

James’ jersey sales also remain elite. Through the first half of the season, James ranked No. 1 in jersey and merchandise sales according to NBAStore.com. And it’s important to reiterate, James is a player in his 19th season! He’s not a young player who emerged as a star and not a star who was traded to a new team, prompting a different base of fans to run out and buy gear.

So while James might receive more hate messages on social media than any other player, all it really proves is that he’s the most polarizing and recognizable personality in the league. Not necessarily the most-hated.

[BetOnline; photo from Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports]