Recent Data Reveals Philadelphia 76ers Headline NBA Twitter

It comes as no secret Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms today. When it comes to sports -- fans are especially connected to Twitter. As Twitter offers sports fans a platform to discuss their favorite teams and get off their opinions, the app and the site has constantly been growing over the years.

Twitter can be used for many different reasons. When it comes to basketball fans, though, they like to include themselves in something called 'NBA Twitter.' There isn't necessarily a group or a thread to accepted in -- it's more of a name for those who primarily talk about basketball via Twitter.

Considering how popular social media has become today, there are tons of accounts on Twitter, who have reached 'influencer' status in NBA Twitter. Basically, those are the accounts that are considered to be popular as they have tons of follows, which result in millions of engagement from basketball fans from all over.

So in an attempt to see which teams are getting the most buzz amongst NBA Twitter and those influencers, SB Nation's SLC Dunk did a data study over the last ten days or so. While the short timeline doesn't offer a large sample size, it gives a reasonable example of which teams necessarily rule NBA Twitter.

The study revealed some obvious things, such as small market teams being not-so-interesting on Twitter. And it also disclosed that only a small handful of teams take up a large portion of NBA talk amongst NBA Twitter's most popular accounts.

According to Mychal Lowman, three teams take up almost 31-percent of NBA Twitter, in terms of popularity on Twitter. Who might they be? Well, for starters, the most obvious would be the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers (9.61-percent). One of the others happens to be the growing Atlanta Hawks (10.88-percent).

And the top dogs? None other than the Philadelphia 76ers, who have taken up a league-high of 11.05-percent over the last ten days or so, according to the study. Now, what does this mean in terms of wins and losses for the Sixers? Absolutely nothing.

Unfortunately, being first in social media popularity doesn't do anything for the Sixers, who are currently sitting in sixth-place within the Eastern Conference. However, the fans of the 76ers can be proud. Although a good chunk of this 'engagement' could be related to many negative factors, at least the Sixers got the league talking about them.

Once upon a time, many believed the Sixers would never bounce back from their dark days of the process. A lot of fans, writers, and analysts thought the Sixers were on the decline in terms of fan engagement, and it would never be the same. Seeing just how much they are talked about today, though, it's pretty easy to say that gaining popularity is the least of the Sixers worries in 2020.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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