Most Social Media Growth of 2024 NBA Draft Prospects
The 58 picks of the 2024 NBA Draft have come and gone, leaving the talking heads of TV’s greatest hits to dissect which players will do what in their respective rookie seasons, while the prospects themselves revel in their newfound fame.
Across the two-day, two-round spectacle in Brooklyn, we saw prospects from Europe, Africa and different portions of North America selected by one of the 30 franchises of the NBA, with the son of a future Hall of Famer taking home the title of being top dog when it came to social media clout. To be determined if he made any waves for futures though across Colorado sportsbooks.
Utilizing the personal Instagram accounts of each player selected during the 2024 NBA Draft, we were able to secure the growth of each prospects’ social media from Tuesday, June 25th to Friday, June 28th over the course of the draft weekend.
Top 10 Social Media Followers Added By NBA Draft Prospects
Rank | Player | Team | # of Followers Added* |
1 | Bronny James | Los Angeles Lakers | 200,000 |
2 | Jared McCain | Philadelphia 76ers | 100,000 |
3 | Rob Dillingham | Minnesota Timberwolves | 90,000 |
4 | Zaccharie Risacher | Atlanta Hawks | 45,800 |
5 | Dalton Knecht | Los Angeles Lakers | 37,300 |
6 | Matas Buzelis | Chicago Bulls | 37,000 |
7 | Alexandre Sarr | Washington Wizards | 30,000 |
8 | Stephon Castle | San Antonio Spurs | 25,100 |
9 | AJ Johnson | Milwaukee Bucks | 24,000 |
10 | Tristan da Silva | Orlando Magic | 21,400 |
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*Rounded to nearest whole number
Unsurprisingly, the heir to the King himself is the ballyhooed prince of social media this year, with USC’s Bronny James adding the most social media followers of any NBA Draft pick. The younger James went 55th overall to the Lakers in the second round.
Overall, the teenaged son of LeBron accumulated 200,000 followers this week to beat out Jared McCain, who gained 100,000 after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th pick of Wednesday’s opening round of the draft.
Throw in former Kentucky Wildcat-turned-Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (+90,000 followers), French big man Zaccharie Risacher (+45,800 followers) and Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee (+37,300 followers) and you have the upper end of the top social media risers from this week’s draft.
Rounding out the list in 2024 were Matas Buzelis out of G League Ignite (+37,000 followers), Alexandre Sarr of France (+30,000 followers), former UConn guard Stephon Castle (+25,100 followers), AJ Johnson (+24,000 followers) and Tristan da Silva (+21,400 followers).
Top 10 Social Media Percentage Growth By NBA Draft Prospects
Rank | Player | Team | Percentage Growth* |
1 | Jonathan Mogbo | Toronto Raptors | 225.00% |
2 | Tristan da Silva | Orlando Magic | 218.37% |
3 | Zaccharie Risacher | Atlanta Hawks | 164.75% |
4 | Pacome Dadiet | New York Knicks | 153.49% |
5 | Kyshawn George | New York Knicks | 139.13% |
6 | Tidjane Salaun | Charlotte Hornets | 93.81% |
7 | Ja’Kobe Walter | Toronto Raptors | 89.42% |
8 | Baylor Scheierman | Boston Celtics | 88.65% |
9 | Ryan Dunn | Phoenix Suns | 67.71% |
10 | Yves Missi | New Orleans Pelicans | 61.63% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
When it comes to sheer percentages, Toronto Raptors top pick in the second round of the draft Jonathan Mogbo out of the University of San Francisco was the biggest mover, gaining 225% this week.
Next up was da Silva, who gained 218.37% out of Colorado after the Orlando Magic selected him with the 18th pick of the draft, while Risacher gained 164.75% after going No. 1 overall to the Atlanta Hawks.
Throw in a pair of New York Knicks picks, in Pacome Dadiet (+153.49%) and Kyshawn George (+139.13%) and you have the top five movers in this year’s draft class, while Charlotte Hornets draftee Tidjane Salaun (+93.81%), Ja’Kobe Walter of the Toronto Raptors (+89.42%), Baylor Schierman of the Boston Celtics (+88.65%), Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns (+67.71%) and Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans (+61.63%) rounded out the list for the year.
Stick with BetColorado for more NBA coverage ahead of next season, plus the Nuggets Championship Odds & Other Futures.
USA Today photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie.
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