I’m someone who watches the MLB, NHL, and NBA, and something that drives me insane about the basketball community in particular is the amount of bandwagoning. It doesn’t even come close to the other sports. Connor McDavid is the undisputed goat in hockey right now, but no one is hopping on the Edmonton Oilers bandwagon. Shohei Ohtani is making MLB history, but no one’s trying to be an Angels fan (Angels are abysmal though, so it makes a little more sense). But meanwhile in the NBA, you have dudes from DC, Michigan, Georgia, Idaho, Colorado, etc. rooting for the Lakers or Warriors SOLELY because of players like Lebron, Kobe, and Curry.

I think this is something that frustrates me more than it does most because I’m a Warriors fan who grew up and lived their entire life in the Bay Area, and no team in the NBA right now has more bandwagons than GSW. It’s frustrating because they are the absolute most fair weather and negative fans you will ever encounter, probably because they have zero tolerance for adversity, which is why they flocked to the Warriors instead of their less successful, small to mid market team in the first place. It doesn’t help that they’re also probably a big factor in why Warriors tickets are just completely unaffordable.

I know this is gatekeeping mentality, but I’m sorry…if you and your whole family were born and raised in Massachusetts, there is zero reason for you to be a dubs fan (yes, I’ve seen people like this online). Go root for the Celtics, they are literally the most successful franchise in NBA history, they’re good right now, and they have a superstar in Jason Tatum. Supporting your local team and having that connection to your city/region is what makes professional sports fun in the first place, even if your team is bad. It’s just absolutely lame af to only hop on to teams that are successful and only when they’re successful. Yes the Pistons suck ass, but I promise you that when the time comes that they’re good again, it will feel so much better to be a Pistons fan cheering alongside your fellow Detroiters than it will be to be a Lakers fan living all the way in Michigan. Like why do you guys only give a shit about Lebron and his legacy, there are 4 other dudes on the court with him. Did you know that basketball is a team sport??? I think Ronald Acuna Jr is amazing, but I can admire his talent while still sticking by my .500 Giants.

This post will get a lot of hate, but I will die on this hill. GO ROOT FOR YOUR LOCAL TEAM! YES, TEAM, THIS AINT TENNIS, BASKETBALL IS A TEAM SPORT. STOP BEING A BANDWAGON!!!