NBA fans are gearing up for the new season, which tips off with three games today (Oct. 27). To get basketball fanatics ready for the 2015-16 season, Billboard hit up StubHub’s data crunchers to take a look at which artists NBA fans have been purchasing tickets to see live.
This exclusive StubHub data dives deep into the secondary ticket market, showing which band or artist fans of a particular basketball team (as revealed through their NBA ticket purchases) are most likely to buy tickets to see in their hometown. All data is for tickets purchased in 2015 (though some of the concerts take place in 2016) as provided by StubHub.
Some of the artist-team connections are not surprising — hometown hero Kid Rock is the favorite of Detroit Pistons fans, and Drake is the top artist for Toronto Raptors devotees — but several are quite unexpected. For instance, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers bought more tickets to see Imagine Dragons than any other artist on the site, while Utah Jazz fans love Sam Smith. As for fans of defending World Champions Golden State Warriors, they prefer to rock out to AC/DC.
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Artists who appear on the list multiple time include Garth Brooks, who tops the list in four NBA cities (Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston and Milwaukee), Luke Bryan, The Rolling Stones, U2, the Foo Fighters and Taylor Swift. Check out what StubHub discovered below.
Atlantic Division
Long suffering New York Knicks fans take solace in their hometown legend Billy Joel, while the Brooklyn Nets jam to Janet Jackson. The Who are faves in Boston, while the 76ers fans dig Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons. It’s no surprise that Toronto Raptors like to get down to their local hip-hop hero Drake.
Central Division
Hopes are high this year for the Chicago Bulls, whose fanbase gravitates toward the uplifting sounds of U2, while fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers — the defending Eastern Conference champions — rock out to the Rolling Stones (when they’re not checking out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, naturally). The aforementioned fans of the Detroit Pistons enjoy their hometown partier Kid Rock, Indiana Pacers fans groove to the Zac Brown Band, and the Milwaukee Bucks fanbase likes legendary country singer-songwriter Garth Brooks.
Southeast Division
Fans of the up-and-coming Atlanta Hawks surprisingly like Billy Joel, something they have in common with Knicks fans. Luke Bryan is tops in Charlotte, while native Floridian Ariana Grande is the top artist for fans of the Miami Heat. The Orlando Magic fanbase digs the Rolling Stones, while Washington Wizards fans get down to North Carolina’s own J. Cole — and not their native MC Wale.
Northwest Division
Oklahoma City Thunder fans like Garth Brooks, Denver Nuggets fans dig Kenny Chesney and Minnesota Timberwolves fans enjoy Luke Bryan. More surprising, however, are these two connections: Portland Trail Blazers fans love Ed Sheeran, while Utah Jazz fans gravitate toward Sam Smith.
Pacific Division
Taylor Swift is the top artist among fans of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Surely Lakers fans hope their legendary guard Kobe Bryant is “Out of the Woods” following his return from a torn right rotator cuff, which kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the 2015 season. Fans of the World Champion Golden State Warriors “Shoot to Thrill” with their love of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers AC/DC, while Phoenix Suns fans prefer U2.
Southwest Division
Texas represents country music well. Garth Brooks is the favorite artist in Dallas and Houston, while Luke Bryan is beloved in San Antonio. The Foo Fighters are the top artist among Memphis Grizzlies fans, while New Orleans Pelican fans steer clear of their jazz and hip-hop heavy surroundings with pop queen Taylor Swift.
Check out the complete list below, data courtesy StubHub.
Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics, The Who
Brooklyn Nets, Janet Jackson
New York Knicks, Billy Joel
Philadelphia 76ers, Imagine Dragons
Toronto Raptors, Drake
Central Division:
Chicago Bulls, U2
Cleveland Cavaliers, The Rolling Stones
Detroit Pistons, Kid Rock
Indiana Pacers, Zac Brown Band
Milwaukee Bucks, Garth Brooks
Southeast Division:
Atlanta Hawks, Billy Joel
Charlotte Hornets, Luke Bryan
Miami Heat, Ariana Grande
Orlando Magic, The Rolling Stones
Washington Wizards, J. Cole
Northwest Division:
Denver Nuggets, Kenny Chesney
Minnesota Timberwolves, Luke Bryan
Oklahoma City Thunder, Garth Brooks
Portland Trail Blazers. Ed Sheeran
Utah Jazz, Sam Smith
Pacific Division:
Los Angeles Lakers, Taylor Swift
Los Angeles Clippers, Foo Fighters
Golden State Warriors, AC/DC
Phoenix Suns, U2
Sacramento Spurs, Taylor Swift
Southwest Division:
Dallas Mavericks, Garth Brooks
Houston Rockets, Garth Brooks
Memphis Grizzlies, Foo Fighters
New Orleans Pelicans, Taylor Swift
San Antonio Spurs, Luke Bryan