Best & Worst Cities for Basketball Fans (2026)

Basketball is the second-most popular sport in the United States, trailing only football. It is also a massive business: the NBA generates around $12.8 billion in annual revenue, with the average franchise valued at $5.4 billion. Teams also bring in significant income through television deals, merchandise sales, and advertising on team uniforms.

While basketball enjoys nationwide popularity, certain cities stand out more than others. Factors such as successful teams, strong revenues, and long-standing traditions all play a role—but none of it matters without fans. A city must also foster attendance and engagement by making arenas accessible and keeping ticket prices affordable.

With basketball fans in mind, WalletHub analyzed data to identify the best places in America to root for the sport. More than 290 major cities were evaluated across 21 key metrics, ranging from the performance level of each city’s NBA and NCAA Division 1 basketball teams to ticket prices to stadium accessibility.

Main Findings

Best Cities for Basketball Fans

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Ranking by City Size

In-Depth Look at the Best Cities for Basketball Fans

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles is the best city for basketball fans in 2026. It is home to two NBA teams, the Lakers and Clippers, as well as four Division 1 NCAA teams, the UCLA Bruins, Loyola Marymount Lions, USC Trojans and CSU Northridge Matadors.

L.A. has taken home the NBA championship title 17 times, the second most after Boston – with the Lakers claiming all 17 of these victories, helped by stars like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson. The city has also been home to 18 different hall-of-fame coaches since 1946, the second-most in the country. To top things off, the city’s NBA franchises have an average value of $8.8 billion.

At the collegiate level, Los Angeles also has the most national titles – all of which have been won by the UCLA Bruins.

Boston, MA

Boston is the second-best city for basketball fans, and it’s home to the Boston Celtics, who have won 18 NBA championships, breaking their tie with the Los Angeles Lakers after winning the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics also have one of the most engaged fans of any NBA team, based on Facebook and X (Twitter) followers. In addition, the Celtics ranked as the third-most popular NBA team in Statista’s most recent NBA Fan Survey, and they are the fourth-most valuable team in the league, at $6.7 billion.

Boston also has three Division 1 NCAA teams, the Northeastern Huskies, Boston College Eagles and Boston University Terriers. None of these teams have taken home a national championship in basketball, but they’ve collectively brought Boston the 12th-most conference titles among the nearly 300 cities in our study.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is the third-best city for basketball fans, and it has one NBA team, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have won 7 NBA championships, the third-most in the country, and they have the eighth-highest overall winning percentage.

Despite lagging behind the Lakers and Celtics in terms of championships, the Golden State Warriors are beloved by fans, taking the top spot in Statista’s latest NBA Fan Survey, thanks in large part to Stephen Curry’s star power.

The Golden Gate City is also home to one Division 1 NCAA team, the San Francisco Dons. This team has taken home two national championships, which puts San Francisco in 11th place for the number of NCAA championship wins.

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.