Home

NBA

“They Must Have Hated Cleveland”: NBA World Left Baffled as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving Lead the Race in an Unwanted List

Published 11/11/2022, 10:11 PM EST

Follow Us

via Imago

Kyrie Irving has overtaken LeBron James. Not in terms of points or rings, but in terms of being the most hated NBA player in the United States. The internet is full of bizarre cultures and trends. One of them was a survey to find the most hated NBA player in each state. Apart from LeBron and Irving, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Ben Simmons found themselves on the list. It’s perhaps not very shocking for fans that three Brooklyn Nets players are among the top five. The NBA world can’t help but respond to such an unwanted list.

Last year, LeBron James was named the most NBA hated player in 24 states. And Irving came in second place, collecting votes from 18 states. This year, the tables have turned as he was voted the most in 28 states while LeBron came first in 17. The increase in hate is likely due to Irving’s current controversy.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

From October 18 through November 9, BetOnline.ag evaluated negative sentiment tweets, hashtags, and direct keyword phrases to determine which NBA player was the most despised or “hated” in each state in the country.

This is nothing new to players like LeBron James

Following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ great and the Nets’ point guard, comes Kevin Durant who joins the list being the most hated player in Ohio. Arizona seemingly hates Draymond Green the most, who made his way into the top 5 of the list. This season has already been controversial for him, from punching Jordan Poole to not performing well so far.

via Getty

Joining Kyrie Irving is his other Brooklyn Nets teammate, Ben Simmons. It came as no surprise to fans that he is the most despised player in Pennsylvania. After NBA Central tweeted about the survey, a torrent of fans hurried to respond in order to defend their idols.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Point Guards the Lakers need to keep an eye on 

What was your reaction to seeing the most hated list? Do you think someone is missing? Let us know in the comments below.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Ritesh Jha

240Articles

One take at a time

Ritesh Jha is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Technology in Computer Science from Rungta College. Ritesh worked as an intern content writer for a digital marketing agency called KCAS Branding before joining EssentiallySports.
Show More>

Edited by:

Veer Badani