Every NBA team has haters no matter who they are. Obviously, some teams are more widely hated than others due to a variety of reasons such as prior success or disliked players. Here is one reason why people hate your favorite NBA team:
(Note: Some of these were MUCH harder than others)
Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young
Young has been controversial since he was drafted in the NBA, with most people disliking him for his at-times smug attitude and lack of effort on the defensive end of the ball.
Boston Celtics: The Fans/City
Boston sports fans do not have a good reputation around all American sports. They can be obnoxious (as can all fans) but they take it to a whole new level. Stay classy, Boston.
Brooklyn Nets: Former Super Team
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The Nets got a lot of hate when they had KD/Kyrie/Harden. Since those players have left, the hate has dramatically died down. The Nets/Knicks rivalry will always continue though. Honorable Mention to Ben Simmons here.
Charlotte Hornets: Michael Jordans Ownership
Another tough one, some people hated Jordan so much that they didn’t want the Hornets to succeed since he was the majority owner of the team. Since he has sold his shares, the Hornets’ hate should be even lower than before.
Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan Era
Piggybacking off the Hornets, the Bulls get some hate due to Jordan dominating their team for over a decade. Another reason is due to the Bulls’ handling of fan favorite Derrick Rose, which they probably will never shake.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Era
A common theme around All-Time Greats is that they all have massive haters. LeBron might have the most, and some people still dislike Cleveland because of LeBron’s domination of the Eastern Conference during his time there.
Dallas Mavericks: Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic
Kyrie will always get a lot of hate due to all his stances on issues off the court that I won’t discuss here. Luka is more of an on-court issue, as he is constantly complaining to the refs over not calling fouls.
Denver Nuggets: Recent Success
No matter who it is, the defending champions will have haters. The Nuggets are no different, as everyone will be questioning and doubting their ability to repeat as champions this year.
Detroit Pistons: Bad Boy Pistons
They’ve been irrelevant for a while, but some older fans don’t like the old Bad Boy Pistons just because of the way they played basketball. They were widely regarded as a dirty playing team that would do whatever it takes to win.
Golden State Warriors: Sustained Success
Virtually everyone hated Golden State during their run as a super team after they signed Kevin Durant. Winning fatigue is a real thing, and everyone except Golden State fans wanted to see someone else win the championship except for the GSW.
Houston Rockets: Dillion Brooks
He quickly turned into one of the most hated players in the NBA, as fans thought he played a fake role as a villain and that he was “fake tough” A solid player, but not well-liked by many fans.
Indiana Pacers: Typically Boring (???)
Probably the least-hated NBA team, the Pacers have just been uninteresting the last couple of seasons with no direction. Thankfully, Tyrese Haliburton is a fascinating watch, and the Pacers seem to be on the way up.
Los Angeles Clippers: Resting their Stars
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George seem to sit more than they play. Fans like watching the best players in the world, and instead the Clips just sit them on the bench due to “load management”. Thankfully, the NBA is taking steps to change this.
Los Angeles Lakers: Lebron James/Team History
The most popular team in the NBA has the most popular player in the NBA, enough said. They dominate the headlines in sports media and fans get tired of hearing about them constantly.
Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant
Morant has completely ruined his reputation after the off-the-court antics he has been a part of the last couple of years and has caused him to be suspended a couple of times. An uber-talented player that can’t seem to stay out of trouble, and fans don’t like it.
Miami Heat: “Heat Culture”
The Heat always find ways to be good, pretty much every season. While some respect that, others don’t. They also still have some fans who have deep-seated hatred towards Miami due to the LeBron-Wade-Bosh days.
Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is excellent on and off the court, although he is a bit cheesy at times. Due to his excellence, fans knock him constantly for a lack of being able to shoot from beyond the arc. The hate level is low for a team this good, though.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert
Gobert turned into one of the most hated players in the league after he made a mockery of COVID-19 and then proceeded to be the 1st player to get COVID and get the NBA shut down. He also has been a questionable fit during his time in Minnesota after being traded from Utah.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson Off-the-Court
Zion has been in the news this season due to baby mama issues, and he has been painted in a bad light from these posts. Another team that just kind of exists and doesn’t have many haters in general.
New York Knicks: James Dolan
Dolan is in contention for the worst owner in American sports, and NBA fans (and especially Knicks fans) don’t like him very much, if at all. The Knicks fans also over-exaggerate themselves most seasons, which causes them to be disliked by other fan groups.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Letting go of three future MVPs
Some fans dislike it due to the fact that they once had three future MVPs on their roster but decided to blow it up due to failed contract talks and mismanagement of assets. Had they retained the trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden today, this team would have been bigger than GSW’s dynasty.
Orlando Magic: Political Disputes
The Magic got some heat for supporting Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis with a 50,000-dollar donation that backs the Florida Governor. The NBPA called the donation “alarming.” Excellent way to isolate your team, for better or worse.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid and his MVP Season
Fans criticize Embiid for being a “crybaby” and that he cares more about himself and his own personal achievements than his team’s success. A good number of fans also think that Nikola Jokic deserved the MVP award over Embiid, but the NBA gave him the award so he would “stop complaining about it”.
Phoenix Suns: Super Team
An easy one, most fans don’t like teams that try to sign a lot of big-name players to try and compete right away and create a “super team”. This team is excellent on paper, and the Suns as a team come off as snarky and cocky. It gives fans bad vibes and brings them haters.
Portland Trail Blazers: Failure to build a winner
From Clyde Drexler to Brandon Roy to Damian Lillard, the Blazers had some generational talent on their roster but couldn’t get over the hump and deliver the results on the court. The hope to find another superstar is on but their fanbase isn’t too optimistic this time around.
Sacramento Kings: The Beam (???)
The Kings are the lovable losers, a team that has been bad forever and now has a lot of people rooting for them since they finally have some success. The only thing I could think of is that some fans might think the “Lighting the Beam” in the Kings stadium after every win is obnoxious. Besides that, I have no clue.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembenyama Hype
Wemby is the most hyped prospect since Zion Williamson, and with all that hype comes hate. He will always have a target on his back because everyone knows that cameras will always be following him no matter where he goes.
Toronto Raptors: Their Fanbase
Remember when Kevin Durant went down in the NBA Finals in 2019 and the Raptors fanbase cheered what happened in what would eventually become an advantage for them? Or the ruthless booing of former superstar Vince Carter for more than a decade who single-handedly put the Raptors on the map? You be the judge.
Utah Jazz: Karl Malone and John Stockton
While both players were beloved franchise figures, what they’ve done off the court has irritated everybody outside of Utah. We all know what Karl Malone’s fault is but it’s still disgusting to fathom when we think about it to this day. Stockton? He spread false research about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Washington Wizards: Jordan's Last Years
Another irrelevant team, the Wizards isn’t really hated because there isn’t much going on over there. Some fans dislike the fact that Jordan retired in Washington, instead of with Chicago, where he obviously won his 6 championships.
