Slovenians are the biggest NBA fans in Europe
While EuroLeague is immensely popular among basketball fans in Europe, the NBA also attracts many international fans from the continent. After all, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy basketball in both of these prestigious leagues. In this section, we’ll explore which European nations are the biggest NBA fans by comparing the number of searches for the American League in each country.
10
Greece
10,497,595
3,144,700
29,956
11
United Kingdom
68,138,484
20,021,000
29,383
12
Lithuania
2,655,755
699,400
26,335
13
Cyprus
1,308,120
328,500
25,112
14
Switzerland
8,563,760
2,061,400
24,071
15
Montenegro
602,445
143,380
23,800
16
Croatia
4,169,239
971,100
23,292
17
Germany
84,220,184
17,508,000
20,788
18
Malta
467,138
95,400
20,422
19
Portugal
10,223,150
1,985,500
19,422
20
Austria
8,940,860
1,569,800
17,558
21
Latvia
1,821,750
306,800
16,841
22
Belgium
11,913,633
1,959,300
16,446
23
Estonia
1,202,762
186,500
15,506
24
North Macedonia
2,133,410
321,000
15,046
25
Turkey (Turkiye)
83,593,483
10,461,500
12,515
26
Norway
5,597,924
626,300
11,188
27
Poland
37,991,766
4,135,500
10,885
28
Finland
5,614,571
609,000
10,847
29
Bosnia and Herzegovina
3,807,764
337,300
8,858
29
Kosovo
1,964,327
174,000
8,858
31
Netherlands
17,463,930
1,539,500
8,815
32
Denmark
5,946,984
508,500
8,551
33
Sweden
10,536,338
844,900
8,019
34
Hungary
9,670,009
702,100
7,261
35
Bulgaria
6,827,736
467,300
6,844
36
Albania
3,101,621
148,900
4,801
37
Slovakia
5,425,319
195,900
3,611
38
Czechia
10,706,242
382,900
3,576
39
Romania
18,326,327
570,800
3,115
40
Armenia
2,989,091
75,090
2,512
41
Moldova
3,250,532
41,340
1,272
42
Belarus
9,383,853
99,200
1,057
43
Azerbaijan
10,420,515
77,700
746
44
Georgia
4,936,390
12,100
245
Rank | Country | Population | NBA Searches | NBA Searches per 100,000 people |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Slovenia | 2,099,790 | 1,660,600 | 79,084 |
2 | Spain | 47,222,613 | 22,893,000 | 48,479 |
3 | Ireland | 5,323,991 | 2,375,100 | 44,611 |
4 | Iceland | 360,872 | 137,640 | 38,141 |
5 | Italy | 61,021,855 | 22,332,000 | 36,597 |
6 | Luxembourg | 660,924 | 233,500 | 35,329 |
7 | Israel | 9,043,387 | 3,145,700 | 34,785 |
8 | France | 68,521,974 | 23,706,000 | 34,596 |
9 | Serbia | 6,693,375 | 2,227,000 | 33,272 |
Slovenia to Ireland: Europe’s Biggest NBA Fans Unveiled
Slovenia leads Europe in NBA searches with a whopping 79K per 100K people ! Spain and Ireland follow suit , proving basketball’s global reach extends far beyond the US
Slovenia
NBA Searches per 100,000: 79,084
Slovenia is the European country with the biggest NBA fanbase, with a huge 79,084 searches per 100,000 people. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Slovenia, and the country is currently ranked seventh in the FIBA world rankings, which is impressive for a population of around 2.01 million. There are currently three Slovenian players in the NBA: Vlatko Čančar of the Denver Nuggets, Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks, and Goran Dragić, who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Spain
NBA Searches per 100,000: 48,479
The European country with the second highest rate of NBA searches is Spain, with 48,479 searches per 100,000 people. Basketball is incredibly popular in Spain, the second most popular sport after association football, or soccer. In fact, Spain is currently the highest-ranked country for basketball in the world, according to FIBA, even beating out competition from the USA by a slight margin. There were four Spanish players signed to NBA teams in the 2022-23 season, including Santi Aldama of Memphis Grizzlies, Usman Garuba of Oklahoma City Thunder, and Ricky Rubio of Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as Willy Hernangómez of New Orleans Pelicans, who recently signed for FC Barcelona.
Ireland
NBA Searches per 100,000: 44,611
The country with the third biggest NBA fanbase is Ireland, which saw 44,611 NBA searches in the last 12 months. Basketball is popular in Ireland, but it has a lot of competition from other more established sports in the country. Ireland’s most popular sport is Gaelic Football, followed by the likes of rugby, football, and horse racing. There are currently no Irish basketball players in the NBA, and the national team is ranked 96th in the FIBA world rankings.