In an extraordinarily short period of time, Twitter has become the most important source of media in the NBA community. It is at once the newsroom and the barbershop; a place where reporters can break news of trades or extensions – and that stuff is always broken on Twitter before television or national websites these days – while crazed fans argue the merits of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James or discuss the flaws in a game plan created by Vinny Del Negro or Mike D’Antoni.
For NBA players, though, Twitter is an entirely different animal. At it’s worst, Twitter acts as an entirely one-sided interview for players. Regardless of whether or not they are asked a direct question, anything and everything they tweet can and will be used as a quote in newspapers, on the Internet and on television, oftentimes resulting in controversy. That’s how we wind up with situations like J.R. Smith having to pull his Twitter account in August 2009 because of – possibly unfounded – concerns that he was associated with gang activity or Kenyon Martin telling all of his haters to “go get AIDS and die.†(It seems that former Denver Nuggets have a big problem with using Twitter, as Carmelo Anthony was also embroiled in a controversy stemming from his account being possibly being hacked to speak ill of “celebrity groupie†Kat Stacks.) You can also throw the disastrous “Let Us Play†campaign the NBPA organized during this past summer’s lockout in the “worst of NBA Twitter†pile.
When used correctly, however, Twitter can be a tremendous asset for an NBA player to build his brand and influence by interacting with teammates, the fans and the media. NBA players are the most visible athletes in professional sports. The fans sit closer to the court than in any other sport, and the uniform rules dictate that everyone can see every player’s face and body every time they step on the floor, whether they are in the arena or watching at home on television. As such, many fans and media members alike feel a deeply personal connection to players, and Twitter is as good of a resource as any ever invented to foster that connection.
Of course, very few players take advantage of this resource. Not all players have Twitter accounts, not all the ones who do stay active with them and not all the ones who stay active with them engage in substantive conversations with fans or media. Last week, I took an informal poll of the NBA blogosphere, Twittersphere and myfollowersphere to determine which NBA players were best at using Twitter and came up with the following results:
10. Andrew Bogut, @AndrewMBogut
Bogut used his Twitter account the create “Squad 6,†a group of super-crazy Bucks fans who Bogut (I believe) pays the way for at each home game. He’s not as active on his account as he used to be, but he’ll still do things like hold a contest to upgrade the seat of one fan at every Bucks home game. He keeps it light and fresh, lets you know what he’s up to throughout the day and leading up to game time and then gives occasional post-game thoughts afterward.
9. Brandon Jennings, @BRAND0NJENNINGS
You may have already heard, but Brandon Jennings spent his summer trying to get into any and every pickup game across the country, using Twitter as his means of finding the best run.
8. Stephen Jackson, @DaTrillStak5
You can often find Captain Jack promoting his hip-hop career on his Twitter account. He released a full-length album during the lockout, and has been promoting it like crazy since the start of the season. He also tweets about his other favorite rappers and some of their best lines and tries to eliminate any misconceptions people may have about him.
7. Steve Nash, @SteveNash
Nash is often active and engaging on Twitter, discussing everything from the basketball games he’s watching on off nights for the Suns to the soccer stylings of his favorite players Xavi, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. During the NBA lockout, Nash hosted an informal Q&A session on Twitter in order to educate fans on some of the issues that were important to him and the rest of the NBPA in negotiations. Most fans were both civil and respectful, and Nash returned the favor by being very forthcoming with information. I happened to meet him on the street in New York City the day after this event (he was randomly at the convenience store across the street from my apartment), and I told him how cool it was of him to do so. He responded that he loves engaging with the fans in any way possible, and then we commiserated for a minute about the loss of actual basketball games and how much we hoped he’d be back on the court soon. He went on his merry way with a gorgeous female friend and forgot about me, while I’ll always remember that he was just as nice and engaging in person as he is on his Twitter account.Â
6. Kevin Durant, @KDTrey5
Of all the super-duper-stars in the NBA, Durant is the most fun to follow. Durant is already one of the brightest stars in the NBA, but his Twitter account has brought him even more popularity. Whether he’s prodding his followers to participate in city and nation-wide scavenger hunts to win KD prize packs (mostly filled with cool Nike and Skull Candy gear), rallying the Thunder fans or interacting with his teammates, KD is always active on Twitter. His account is perhaps best known for the time he randomly showed up at a follower’s flag football game.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOIa20l6SXo&feature=player_embedded]
5. Nazr Mohammed, @NazrMohammed
Mohammed is one of the smartest players in the entire league. He engaged fans and media alike in active discussion of real issues during the lockout, and he hasn’t stopped engaging since the season got back up and running. He’ll give post-game thoughts, question what movie he and his teammates should watch, crack jokes, tell stories and let people know some of his favorite quotes and mottos. Just don’t try to use him to get more followers, or you might get blocked.
4. Anthony Tolliver, @ATolliver44
Tolliver, like Mohammed, is one of the smartest players in the league. He, too, often interacts with fans and media members alike. During the lockout, he got into an extended discussion of actual CBA negotiation issues with our HP overlord Matt Moore, who documented the exchange at CBS’ Eye on Basketball. You can also often find Tolliver tweeting inspirational Bible passages, messages to Timberwolves fans and his opinions on everything from movies to TV shows to anything else that happens to be on his mind. (Yes, I used that tweet above because he responded to me as well on the night of his exchange with Moore.)
3. Jared Dudley, @JaredDudley619
Dudley is perhaps the most active Twitter-er in the entire league. Whether he’s filming videos of his teammates for his “JMZ†news program or engaging his followers in discussions about restaurants, football or roster moves for NBA teams, he’s always entertaining. While he’s made a name for himself in Phoenix the last few years by being a versatile defender and solid three-point shooter with at least some playmaking ability, he may have already been Twitter-famous before he came into his bigger role.
2. Brian Cardinal, @BrianCardinal
In a huge surprise, Brian Cardinal received the second most votes in the informal Twitter poll I conducted last week. Cardinal, a cagey role player for the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, has developed a bit of a cult following on Twitter. You can find Cardinal talking about Purdue basketball, interacting with fans and promoting his “The Custodian†t-shirts on his account.Â
1. Tony Allen, @aa000g9
If I had to describe Allen’s Twitter account with just two words, I’d use these: unfiltered punctuation. The man loves his exclamation points. In the informal Twitter poll I conducted to determine which NBA players were the best at Twitter, I eventually had to qualify it with “OTHER THAN TONY ALLEN,†because everybody voted for him. He’s nearly always hilariously entertaining, and he’s extraordinarily engaging with his followers. He replies to mentions as much or more often than any other player in the league. It must be said, though, that at times he does get a bit out of hand.
