Our NBA Social Media Superstars of the Summer
By Ian Levy
Some people simply excel in the NBA. Yes, LeBron James has put in tons of work on his basketball game, but that’s all been to build on his natural excellence. And to be honest, most NBA superstars have that naturally ability to excel.
Some, though, are better off the court than others. Indeed, some players (and teams!) shine when the NBA social media spotlight is brightest. And while everyone has their ups and downs — no one’s perfect, after all — these are some of the best moments and best accounts we’ve come across this summer throughout the NBA social media landscape. Following these moments and events isn’t like following the average official twitter account. There’s either a particular type of fan interaction, a unique charm that makes them a must follow, or an outburst of hilarious moments.
These are the true superstars that help our glorious league be as great as it is.
The Atlanta Hawks twitter account (@ATLHawks)
Team twitter accounts are for the most part, boring, dull, and just another cog in the propaganda machine. The Atlanta Hawks twitter account is none of that. While yes it does what every team twitter account does, cheer for the home team and try to sell the team to the best of its ability, they also do something that the rest of team accounts lack. Be entertaining. Whether it’s a funny Photoshop, a witty joke, tweeting out well written content about their own Atlanta Hawks, or just being goofy, this is a twitter account all teams should aspire to be like.
Ekpe Udoh’s book club (@EkpeUdoh)
Ekpe Udoh first made an impression when he did a Google Hangout with some twitter followers. He still does this every once in awhile, which is really awesome of him. Interacting with fans is something that no player is required to do, but it’s always nice to see.
Udoh decided to take this fan interaction in a new way and the results were very cool. Udoh has a book club that he runs through twitter. He’ll announce a book, which his followers can choose to read if they so choose. They’ll send out tweets with the hashtag #EkpesBookClub and those participating can discuss the book through that way. Authors of the book, fans, and even our own Jack Maloney have all been involved in this very unique type of fan interaction.
Javale “Pierre Squilliam M” Mcgee’s twitter @JaValeMcGee34
McGee’s twitter is an adventure. He’s not actually running the account, you see; it’s actually ran by his other persona Pierre and McGee is just RTing Pierre…or is it the other way around? I really don’t know at this point. Dude is wacky. To some, Pierre’s antics might have lost a bit of their luster, but it’s always worth checking in to see what JaVale’s up to.
Nick Young’s Instagram (SwaggyP1)
Nick Young has an Instragram that can only truly be explained by following it. Matt Cianfrone already ranked his best Instagram moments and is on record saying “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
Young is a grown man that everybody calls Swaggy and nobody has a problem with doing that. Young is a guy that celebrated a three pointer, missed the three pointer, and got more popular because of it. Young spent his anniversary at Target. Nick “Swaggy P” Young is a social media superstar.
This is our current NBA social media superstar starting lineup, though the fifth spot is still up for grabs. The best of the best in the basketball social media world. And you never know when a new one might appear. Joel Embiid showed promise, but he’s had a few slip ups since. We’re a forgiving bunch, though, and look forward to Joel climbing back to the top of the ladder. We’ve had team accounts like the Blazers and Suns have great moments, then take a backseat to some of their social media brethren. Being a social media superstar isn’t easy, but we’re always watching, waiting, for the next one to appear before us.