Kyrie and Durant should be likable. Why aren’t they?

[bdm860]

I thought this graphic was interesting - it isn't even just Boston who hates Kyrie.  No surprise on Lebron since he's amazing and been around forever.


https://i.redd.it/ng03t0du53471.jpg

Edit: I give up on trying to post a graphic here anymore. It just doesn't seem possible.

That isn't surprising, well except Paul George in Arizona and Russell Westbrook in Pennsylvania, those are just weird.

Not sure when this originated, but if it was recent (and I'm sure very unscientific since it's based on Twitter data), I can see enough people complaining on Twitter about Russell Westbrook trying to charge into the stands and fight a Philly fan over popcorn.

For Paul George, apparently he has beef with both Chris Paul and Devin Booker.

[RJ87]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

No they aren't.  They are superb basketball players (especially Durant), but they are not well like nationally.  In Ohio basically no one like either of them and no one really like Kyrie before he asked out of Cleveland either.  Just because you are a great basketball talent, that gets talked about by sport's media, etc. doesn't mean you are well liked.

They're both constantly on the list of the league's best selling jerseys (KD at #3, Kyrie at #6 this year). They're both Nike signature athletes with lines that perform very well, Kyrie's in particular is regularly a top seller among all shoe brands.

Sure, there are pockets of people who don't like them but their marketability suggests that they're far more likable than you may want to admit.

Those aren't necessarily signs that you are well liked though, especially personally.  Irving is absolutely incredible with the ball, plays in the largest city in the country, and is still relatively new there.  All things that would drive jersey sales.

Kyrie has been a consistent top 10 jersey seller dating back to his time in Cleveland, even pre-Lebron. Same with his signature line. He's been marketable pretty much since he was drafted regardless of the market he's been in. Likability and marketability are intrinsically linked, no? How much money is a fan going to spend on merch for a player they don't like?

[bdm860]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

No they aren't.  They are superb basketball players (especially Durant), but they are not well like nationally.  In Ohio basically no one like either of them and no one really like Kyrie before he asked out of Cleveland either.  Just because you are a great basketball talent, that gets talked about by sport's media, etc. doesn't mean you are well liked.

They're both constantly on the list of the league's best selling jerseys (KD at #3, Kyrie at #6 this year). They're both Nike signature athletes with lines that perform very well, Kyrie's in particular is regularly a top seller among all shoe brands.

Sure, there are pockets of people who don't like them but their marketability suggests that they're far more likable than you may want to admit.

Those aren't necessarily signs that you are well liked though, especially personally.  Irving is absolutely incredible with the ball, plays in the largest city in the country, and is still relatively new there.  All things that would drive jersey sales.

Kyrie has been a consistent top 10 jersey seller dating back to his time in Cleveland, even pre-Lebron. Same with his signature line. He's been marketable pretty much since he was drafted regardless of the market he's been in. Likability and marketability are intrinsically linked, no? How much money is a fan going to spend on merch for a player they don't like?

I think there's a big difference between casual fans and the more hard core "real" fans that causes the divide.  Just throwing out some SWAG, casual fans probably out number "real" fans like 10 to 1, if not more.  The casual fans aren't invested enough to really hate anybody.  A big star with a little bit of charisma goes a long way, and that's what makes them popular.

The things that make players hated, that's not going to make casual fan's radar.  Most 8-10 year old kids don't know about all Kyrie's or Durant's locker room issues or behind the scenes drama, they just know they make highlight plays and are in commercials/movies.

It's a lot like pro wrestling.  Throughout the years you've had guys like Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Kevin Nash, John Cena, Roman Reigns, etc.  These guys who are always in the main event and among the leaders in merchandise sales, are often the most hated by the "real" wrestling fans, the smarks.  It's just that the casual fans far outnumber the more invested fans.

That's basically how you can be a fan favorite and most hated at the same time.

[RJ87]

Kyrie has been a consistent top 10 jersey seller dating back to his time in Cleveland, even pre-Lebron. Same with his signature line. He's been marketable pretty much since he was drafted regardless of the market he's been in. Likability and marketability are intrinsically linked, no? How much money is a fan going to spend on merch for a player they don't like?

I think there's a big difference between casual fans and the more hard core "real" fans that causes the divide.  Just throwing out some SWAG, casual fans probably out number "real" fans like 10 to 1, if not more.  The casual fans aren't invested enough to really hate anybody.  A big star with a little bit of charisma goes a long way, and that's what makes them popular.

The things that make players hated, that's not going to make casual fan's radar.  Most 8-10 year old kids don't know about all Kyrie's or Durant's locker room issues or behind the scenes drama, they just know they make highlight plays and are in commercials/movies.

It's a lot like pro wrestling.  Throughout the years you've had guys like Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Kevin Nash, John Cena, Roman Reigns, etc.  These guys who are always in the main event and among the leaders in merchandise sales, are often the most hated by the "real" wrestling fans, the smarks.  It's just that the casual fans far outnumber the more invested fans.

That's basically how you can be a fan favorite and most hated at the same time.

Possibly, but I think its a bit of a different dynamic. I think nowadays, you have fans of players as opposed to fans of teams. There are fans that will follow Lebron no matter what team he plays for, same with KD and Kyrie, but have no allegiance to a team. You and I are Celtics fans when it's all said and done, so we may not like Kyrie because he left the Celtics. But there are Kyrie fans who don't care what he did to Boston because they're rooting for Brooklyn now because that's where he is. I think those types of fans are growing in number. It's that cult of personality thing that Jordan started.

[gouki88]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

That is not true at all. KGs Knee is an enormous Duke homer - Kyrie is ridiculed by everyone on social media, regardless of fan loyalty. KD is called a snake in every single post on the internet. These guys aren't popular, they're infamous.

[RJ87]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

That is not true at all. KGs Knee is an enormous Duke homer - Kyrie is ridiculed by everyone on social media, regardless of fan loyalty. KD is called a snake in every single post on the internet. These guys aren't popular, they're infamous.

Even if you can actually read every single post on the internet, that doesn't account for every single NBA fan. Not even remotely. Contrarily, I saw a far more posts on social media backing Kyrie and making fun of C's fans for crying over a logo than I did calling out him during the last series.

And again, I think their marketability and the fact that they have successful personal brands shows that yes, they are popular.

[gouki88]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

That is not true at all. KGs Knee is an enormous Duke homer - Kyrie is ridiculed by everyone on social media, regardless of fan loyalty. KD is called a snake in every single post on the internet. These guys aren't popular, they're infamous.

Even if you can actually read every single post on the internet, that doesn't account for every single NBA fan. Not even remotely. Contrarily, I saw a far more posts on social media backing Kyrie and making fun of C's fans for crying over a logo than I did calling out him during the last series.

And again, I think their marketability and the fact that they have successful personal brands shows that yes, they are popular.

Popular has more superficial implications than "well-liked" as KGs Knee said, so maybe you're right.

[Donoghus]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

That is not true at all. KGs Knee is an enormous Duke homer - Kyrie is ridiculed by everyone on social media, regardless of fan loyalty. KD is called a snake in every single post on the internet. These guys aren't popular, they're infamous.

Even if you can actually read every single post on the internet, that doesn't account for every single NBA fan. Not even remotely. Contrarily, I saw a far more posts on social media backing Kyrie and making fun of C's fans for crying over a logo than I did calling out him during the last series.

And again, I think their marketability and the fact that they have successful personal brands shows that yes, they are popular.

Popular has more superficial implications than "well-liked" as KGs Knee said, so maybe you're right.

Popular does not necessarily equate to well-liked.   I think 21st century athletes like Brady, Lebron, & Kobe have illustrated that.

[jambr380]

Even taking it a step further, look at ESPN personalities like SAS and Bayless. These guys seem to be universally hated, but they are locked in as premier analysts on an incredibly popular network. Celebrities will gladly take being hated to being unknown, as there is nothing worse than irrelevancy. Kyrie and KD may pretend they don't want the spotlight, but it's a lot better than the alternative. They are a brand and they want to keep that brand as popular as possible.

[Roy H.]

Kyrie has been a consistent top 10 jersey seller dating back to his time in Cleveland, even pre-Lebron. Same with his signature line. He's been marketable pretty much since he was drafted regardless of the market he's been in. Likability and marketability are intrinsically linked, no? How much money is a fan going to spend on merch for a player they don't like?

I think there's a big difference between casual fans and the more hard core "real" fans that causes the divide.  Just throwing out some SWAG, casual fans probably out number "real" fans like 10 to 1, if not more.  The casual fans aren't invested enough to really hate anybody.  A big star with a little bit of charisma goes a long way, and that's what makes them popular.

The things that make players hated, that's not going to make casual fan's radar.  Most 8-10 year old kids don't know about all Kyrie's or Durant's locker room issues or behind the scenes drama, they just know they make highlight plays and are in commercials/movies.

It's a lot like pro wrestling.  Throughout the years you've had guys like Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Kevin Nash, John Cena, Roman Reigns, etc.  These guys who are always in the main event and among the leaders in merchandise sales, are often the most hated by the "real" wrestling fans, the smarks.  It's just that the casual fans far outnumber the more invested fans.

That's basically how you can be a fan favorite and most hated at the same time.

Possibly, but I think its a bit of a different dynamic. I think nowadays, you have fans of players as opposed to fans of teams. There are fans that will follow Lebron no matter what team he plays for, same with KD and Kyrie, but have no allegiance to a team. You and I are Celtics fans when it's all said and done, so we may not like Kyrie because he left the Celtics. But there are Kyrie fans who don't care what he did to Boston because they're rooting for Brooklyn now because that's where he is. I think those types of fans are growing in number. It's that cult of personality thing that Jordan started.

Who would you say is the least likable star in the NBA?

Chances are, whoever you pick, they still sell a ton of jerseys.

[Birdman]

I always like Durant.. but I think they way both Kyrie & Durant handle the media and what they say, makes them not like able in most ppl eyes

[gouki88]

Kyrie is very well liked. Maybe not around here, but overall, he is a huge fan favorite.

This pretty much sums it up. They're not liked in Boston, but Boston doesn't equal national appeal. When you consider they're standing in the sport as a whole, there's really no question that both Kyrie and KD are two of its most popular athletes.

That is not true at all. KGs Knee is an enormous Duke homer - Kyrie is ridiculed by everyone on social media, regardless of fan loyalty. KD is called a snake in every single post on the internet. These guys aren't popular, they're infamous.

Even if you can actually read every single post on the internet, that doesn't account for every single NBA fan. Not even remotely. Contrarily, I saw a far more posts on social media backing Kyrie and making fun of C's fans for crying over a logo than I did calling out him during the last series.

And again, I think their marketability and the fact that they have successful personal brands shows that yes, they are popular.

Popular has more superficial implications than "well-liked" as KGs Knee said, so maybe you're right.

Popular does not necessarily equate to well-liked.   I think 21st century athletes like Brady, Lebron, & Kobe have illustrated that.

That was the point I was trying to make, in a roundabout kind of way.

[Roy H.]

I just saw this online.  It apparently tracks negative mentions on social media of players nationwide: