UNITED STATES — LeBron James cannot have the title of “The Greatest NBA Player Ever.” It still and will forever belong to Michael Jeffrey Jordan (Six NBA championships are greater than four.) However, the numbers do show James could go down in history as The NBA’s greatest social media influencer.
A recently released study showing the NBA’s most influential players on social media, as well as their earning potential from it puts James on top. After analyzing Instagram follower and impressions data – the results weren’t close. James is easily the NBA’s most significant influencer on social media.
At the time of the study, James had 159,706,783 followers on Instagram, potentially earning $339,250 per sponsored post, according to the study.
Golden State Warriors Guard, Stephen Curry ranks second on the list, with 56,604,116 Instagram followers at the time of study, potentially earning$124,050 per sponsored Instagram post.
Russell Westbrook of The Denver Nuggets came in third with 23,023,157 followers, potentially earning him in the ballpark of $62,150 for every sponsored post based on his engagements.
Dallas Mavericks Star, Kyrie Irving takes the number four spot, with 20,122,529 followers at the time of the study, with potential earnings of $56,000 per sponsored post.
And rounding out the top five is Lonzo Ball of The Chicago Bulls who has 18,271,602 followers and can potentially earn $52,000 per sponsored post.
Often a hotbed of keyboard warrior insults, and criticism for NBA players, social media is also a potential, steady stream of off-the-court income for superstar athletes.
So LeBron James is currently The King of NBA Social Media… Perhaps if Michael Jordan was active on social media, the list would look a little different.
Desmond Purnell
