Each state has its favorite target. Americans are good big haters like everyone else and this map which represents the most hated NBA players in each zone shows it. Six players are particularly in the crosshairs of their fellow citizens over the current season, according to the Twitter data collected for this study:
- Without much surprise, LeBron James is the most hated player, or at least criticized in the country with no less than 24 states in which trolls and detractors are focused on him.
- Kyrie Irving hits hard with a prominent place in the Midwest and on the East Coast, notably in Massachusetts, which will come as no surprise to anyone.
- Kevin Durant is not really appreciated in California despite his three seasons at Golden State.
- Go find out why, Paul George most targeted by derogatory tweets in Arizona
- In Pennsylvania, we don’t like Russell Westbrook.
- In Texas (normal), Georgia and Alabama, James Harden is the most common target
It would be fun to do the same geolocation exercise in France, to find out which Bretons, Corsicans, Parisians or Alsatians, to name but a few, talk the most about LeBron, Kyrie and co.
“Dirk Nowitzki hated LeBron James, Wade and the Heat”
