Winning the most titles in league history and having a who’s who of basketball immortals wasn’t enough to help the Boston Celtics in a recent survey of NBA teams, with the New England franchise the fifth highest score of any team in the league.
Overall, the C’s were recognized by 76% of respondents to a recent survey conducted by Statista.com, which polled 1,244 American adults to see which clubs they knew the best, putting Boston in a tie for fifth with the Golden State Warriors leaguewide.
Despite having two of the NBA’s brightest young talents in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and winning the NBA title in 2024, the Celtics managed to score a lower percentage than the Chicago Bulls (85%), Los Angeles Lakers (84%), Miami Heat (81%) and New York Knicks (80%), speaking to the big market-centric name recognition in the league.
At least Boston fans can take solace in the fact that the C’s are the preseason favorite to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy for a second straight season on Bet365 Massachusetts, coming in at +300 as the NBA regular season approaches.
To get a sense of where Boston ranks leaguewide in name recognition, BetMassachusetts.com - your home for the best Massachusetts sportsbook promos - used the survey from Statista.com to find what percentage of those surveyed are “aware” of each NBA team in the league.
Most Recognizable NBA Teams
Rank | Team | Percentage |
1 | Chicago Bulls | 85% |
2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 84% |
3 | Miami Heat | 81% |
4 | New York Knicks | 80% |
T-5 | Golden State Warriors | 76% |
T-5 | Boston Celtics | 76% |
7 | Orlando Magic | 74% |
T-8 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 73% |
T-8 | Houston Rockets | 73% |
T-8 | Phoenix Suns | 73% |
T-11 | Dallas Mavericks | 72% |
T-11 | Detroit Pistons | 72% |
T-11 | Los Angeles Clippers | 72% |
T-11 | Philadelphia 76ers | 72% |
T-15 | Brooklyn Nets | 71% |
T-15 | Charlotte Hornets | 71% |
T-15 | San Antonio Spurs | 71% |
18 | Denver Nuggets | 70% |
T-19 | Atlanta Hawks | 69% |
T-19 | Memphis Grizzlies | 69% |
T-19 | New Orleans Pelicans | 69% |
T-19 | Toronto Raptors | 69% |
T-23 | Washington Wizards | 68% |
T-23 | Indiana Pacers | 68% |
T-25 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 67% |
T-25 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 67% |
T-25 | Portland Trail Blazers | 67% |
T-25 | Sacramento Kings | 67% |
T-29 | Milwaukee Bucks | 66% |
T-29 | Utah Jazz | 66% |
Where Boston Ranks Leaguewide
Across the NBA, Boston’s recognition score of 76% ranked ahead of the Orlando Magic (74%), Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rocks and Phoenix Suns (73% apiece), while the quartet of the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers ranked 11th with scores of 72% each.
Conversely, the least recognized teams were the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks, who scored 66% each, while the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder all finished with 68% scores each.
Luckily for Celtics fans, the franchise can settle for a world championship in place of name brand recognition, as Boston lays claim to being the best team in the league as the 2024-25 league year gets underway later this month in arenas across the United State and Canada.
Stay with BetMassachusetts for the latest on the Boston Celtics this season and all of the deals we have for the best Massachusetts sports betting apps.
Author
Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
