Eighteen states have more than one NBA team. Find out which states, and how many teams they have!
The “most popular nba team in each state” is a list of the most popular NBA basketball teams in each state.
Basketball teams may be found all around the United States in the NBA. While the majority of states do not have an official NBA club, several do have multiple franchises inside their borders. So, where are all of those teams based in the United States?
Let’s look at which states have just one NBA franchise, which states have many teams, and which states have none at all.
States with a single NBA franchise
Bill Bertka, assistant coach | Martin Mills/Getty Images
There is precisely one NBA franchise in each of the 17 states (and one capital city). These are some of the states:
- Arizona. The Phoenix Suns are based in Arizona.
- Colorado. The Denver Nuggets are Colorado’s sole team, and they play at a mile high.
- Georgia. The Atlanta Hawks are the only NBA franchise in Georgia, alongside the Atlanta Braves in baseball and the Atlanta Falcons in football.
- Illinois. The Chicago Bulls remain Illinois’ sole franchise, despite being far away from their golden years in the 1990s, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six rings.
- Indiana. The Indiana Pacers are a basketball team that represents the whole state of Indiana, however they are based in Indianapolis.
- Louisiana. The Charlotte Hornets were formerly known as the Charlotte Hornets, and subsequently the New Orleans Hornets. The Pelicans of New Orleans now represent the state of Louisiana.
- Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics of Massachusetts are the most decorated and successful team in NBA history.
- Michigan. The Detroit Pistons play in Michigan’s Palace of Auburn Hills, which is known for the Malice at the Palace and their dominant “Bad Boys” period.
- Minnesota. The Minnesota Timberwolves are based in Minneapolis.
- North Carolina is a state in the US. The Charlotte Hornets, formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats, are North Carolina’s sole professional sports franchise.
- Ohio. Both one of the best players of all time (LeBron James) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the club he led to a championship in 2016, are from this state.
- Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s lone professional sports team is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- Oregon. The Portland Trailblazers are based in the “Rose City” of Oregon.
- Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia 76ers are a basketball team that has produced luminaries such as Julius Erving and Allen Iverson.
- Tennessee. The Memphis Grizzlies are presently the sole team in Tennessee, despite the fact that the franchise originated in Vancouver.
- Utah. The Utah Jazz are the undisputed most popular sports team in Utah, thanks to John Stockton and Karl Malone’s dominance at the top of the Western Conference.
- Wisconsin. Wisconsin has just one basketball club, the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States. The Washington Wizards are based in the nation’s capital, which isn’t a state.
The Toronto Raptors of Canada are the only team that does not play in a U.S. state but serves as the only representation of an entire country.
States with multiple NBA teams
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There are just four states in the United States that have multiple NBA clubs. These are four of the most populated states in the nation, each with various metro regions, so having many franchises makes sense. These are the states:
- California. The Lakers and the Clippers are two of California’s clubs that play in Los Angeles. California is also home to the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
- Florida. In Florida, there are two teams: the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic.
- New York is a big city. Both of New York’s teams are based in New York City (albeit they are in separate boroughs). The Knicks are based in Manhattan, while the Nets are based in Brooklyn.
- Texas. The three Texas clubs are the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
There are no professional basketball teams in the states listed below.
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Finally, there are no NBA teams in 29 states. These are the states, according to Basketball Noise:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire is a state in the United States.
- New Jersey is a state in the United States.
- New Mexico is located in the United States.
- North Dakota is a state in North America.
- Rhode Island is a state in the United States.
- South Carolina is a state in the United States.
- South Dakota is located in the United States.
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia is a state in the US.
- Wyoming
Did you know that Washington, which is presently on this list, used to have an NBA team? Before relocating to Oklahoma City, the Seattle Supersonics were a Western Conference powerhouse for years.
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The “states without an nba team” is a list of states that do not have any NBA teams.
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