The 2023-24 NBA season just ended on June 17, but the league’s biggest fans never let that slow their passion.
After the NBA 2023-24 season, BetOhio.com – a great place to find the best Ohio sportsbook promotions – wanted to analyze each NBA fanbase from the past season to see which fans are the most engaged. We scored teams based on social media following, what percentage of home seats were filled, and general fan ranking voted by Reddit.com users in r/NBA.
Ranking NBA Fan Engagement
Rank | Team | Total Score |
1 | Boston Celtics | 81 |
2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 74 |
3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 72 |
4 | Dallas Mavericks | 71 |
5 | Miami Heat | 65 |
6 | Denver Nuggets | 62 |
7 | New Orleans Pelicans | 58 |
T8 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 55 |
T8 | Golden State Warriors | 55 |
10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 54 |
11 | New York Knicks | 53 |
12 | Sacramento Kings | 52 |
13 | Indiana Pacers | 50 |
14 | Houston Rockets | 47 |
15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 46 |
16 | Los Angeles Lakers | 45 |
17 | San Antonio Spurs | 44 |
18 | Brooklyn Nets | 43 |
T19 | Chicago Bulls | 42 |
T19 | Atlanta Hawks | 42 |
21 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 41 |
22 | Orlando Magic | 40 |
23 | Toronto Raptors | 38 |
24 | Memphis Grizzlies | 35 |
25 | Utah Jazz | 29 |
26 | Charlotte Hornets | 24 |
27 | Detroit Pistons | 22 |
28 | Phoenix Suns | 21 |
29 | Portland Trail Blazers | 20 |
30 | Washington Wizards | 10 |
Stay with BetOhio.com for unique analysis and continuing coverage of issues that Ohio sportsbooks customers care about the most.
Some of the most dedicated NBA fans in the nation are in Ohio, most of them ardently following their Cleveland Cavaliers. According to our methodology, the Cavs are No. 3 in the league for most engaged fans, with 72 points according to the metrics that we developed.
Only the NBA champion Boston Celtics (81) and the Milwaukee Bucks, just three years removed from their 2021 title (74 points) finished higher. The Dallas Mavericks (71 points) and Miami Heat (65) rounded out the top five.
What Makes Cavs Fans So Dedicated?
Sports betting operators in the Buckeye State saw their handle and revenue amounts remain fairly steady in early 2024 after football season, thanks in part to the playoff-bound Cavs. As next season approaches, find Cleveland Cavaliers odds here at BetOhio.com. For example, in May the handle (or amount wagered) on sports betting in Ohio was $612.65 million. That was 36.9% higher than May 2023, when the figure was $447.48 million.
The Cavs have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and in 2024 they won a postseason series for the first time since 2018. Fans have shown up in full force – according to ESPN’s NBA average attendance statistics, the Cavs averaged 19,345 fans per home game at downtown Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Arena in 2023-24.
According to NBA.com, the Cavs were one of 12 teams to sell out every true home game this season.
As for social media, the team’s official account on Instagram (@cavs) has 16.6 million followers. The same account name at the X platform (formerly Twitter) has 3.3 million followers.
As of July 5, Ohio betting apps rate the Cavs at odds somewhere between +4000 and +5000 to win the 2024-25 NBA championship. The Celtics are favored to repeat, with odds ranging from +295 to +325 at the biggest operators in the state.
USA Today photo by David Richard
