With the end of 2023 almost here, all the major companies are releasing their website data for the year. Everyone is sharing their Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay on their social media accounts.
Google, of course, is not going to be missing out on all the fun. Over the last few weeks, they have been releasing a ton of data about their search engine. And that includes sports data. Being that this website is dedicated to basketball (duh), we are going to focus on their numbers on that front.
So, which NBA team is Google-searched the most? (Hint: It is not who you think.)
A Shocking Surprise
We know what you are thinking. The most frequently Google-searched NBA team is either the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks. There is no way it could be anyone else.
If you follow that line of thinking, you, my friend, are dead wrong. According to Google, the most Google-searched NBA team is the Miami Heat. Of all American sports teams, the Heat ranked fifth overall in searches behind the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves.
After getting over the initial shock, the Heat being the most frequently Google-searched team makes sense. While not as large of a market as Los Angeles or New York, they are still based in a big city. Plus, they have popular players (like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo), were at the heart of the Damian Lillard sweepstakes for months, and are fresh off one of the greatest underdog postseason runs in NBA history.
Other Frequently Searched Teams
Which other NBA teams ranked high on Google’s leaderboards? While they didn’t finish first among NBA teams, the Lakers did still make the list, finishing second in Google searches among NBA teams (eighth most searched among American teams). The Golden State Warriors were the third most searched NBA team (ninth among American sports teams).
Interestingly enough, the Knicks didn’t finish in Google’s top-10 in searches. And that is despite 2023 being the first time they won a playoff series since 2013. Hey, it looks like people aren’t as obsessed with big market teams as you think, at least not according to Google.
