24/7 Insights

• Few professional basketball players are well-known with Baby Boomers.
• Caitlin Clark is the most popular basketball player according to those surveyed.
• Some basketball players are known for their controversy rather than their playing.
• Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever

Baby Boomers are particular about their sports, and from our research, it doesn’t seem they are very big fans of basketball. We put together a list of the least popular basketball players according to Baby Boomers using the YouGov survey. Because none of the players were very well-recognized, we looked only at players whose names were memorable to at least 40% of respondents. Many were in the low 40th percentage for fame until Brittney Griner when the fame rating jumped up to 82% and stayed high until the number one pick, Caitlin Clark.

Why We Care About This

At 24/7 Wall Street, we care about anything that our readers invest their money in, and sports is a big expense for many Americans. The NBA alone generates more than $10 billion each year through its 30 franchises. The league earns revenue from fans through ticket sales, advertisements and player merchandise. Something that holds that much of the economy in its grip is something we care about because it can directly affect our readers.

11. Caitlin Clark

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 53%

The most popular basketball player according to Baby Boomers is Caitlin Clark. She earned 53% of the popularity vote in the survey. She played college basketball for Iowa and was drafted to the WNBA in 2024 as the number one pick in the first round by the Indiana Fever. A guard, she was named a WNBA All-Star her first season and was a two-time AP Player of the Year while in college. Clark also had the opportunity to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend, where she was narrowly edged out of the three-point contest by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

Caitlin Clark may be single-handedly responsible for new interest in the WNBA, as she drove ratings higher than they’ve ever been. In the 2024 women’s NCAA final, viewership was higher than it was for the men’s tournament as her team played South Carolina in the finals. She often shoots three-pointers from behind the line in a consistency that’s never been seen before.

10. Stephen Curry

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 41%

Stephen Curry is one of the most popular basketball players with Baby Boomers at 41%. He was drafted in the 2009 draft in the first round as the 7th pick. He’s a point guard for the Golden State Warriors and has played with them his entire career. He’s won four NBA championships and in 2022, was named NBA Finals MVP. He’s a 10-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Curry is playing with the United States team in the summer of 2024 at the Paris Olympics.

Another player with an unbelievable three-point shooting record, Steph Curry is said to have started the Golden State dynasty. He’s married to Ayesha, who has her own spin on celebrity with a collection of cookbooks. The couple has a philanthropic goal to donate to the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets Campaign and with his wife, founded Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation in Oakland. Steph has also played with his younger brother, Seth while in the NBA.

9. LeBron James

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 40%

LeBron James is popular with 40% of Baby Boomers, which is one of the highest numbers on our list. He’s a small forward for the Los Angeles Lakers and was drafted in 2003 as the first pick. This is his 20th season in the NBA. James was first drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, then played for the Miami Heat before returning to Cleveland and eventually to the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s won four NBA championships and was named the NBA Finals MVP four times. He’s a 20-time NBA All-Star and was the league’s Most Valuable Player four times.

LeBron is probably one of the most popular names in basketball. He’s remembered widely for his friendship with Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident, and his efforts to lead many NBA players through the trauma. Recently, he’s been in the media for his efforts to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny. Time will tell if the two can win a championship together.

8. Kevin Durant

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 32%

After playing college ball at Texas, Durant was drafted in the 2007 draft in the first round as the second overall pick. He was a power forward/small forward for the Seattle Supersonics which eventually became the Oklahoma City Thunder. After playing for the Thunder, he was on the roster for the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. He’s won two championships, both with Golden State and was NBA Finals MVP both years. In 2014, he was also named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

Kevin Durant was part of what seemed to many as an attempt to “stack” the Golden State team to dominate the NBA championships. Durant was also in the public eye when he posted to a burner Twitter (now X) account but forgot to switch to his real account. Viewers quickly picked up on the fact that Durant created an account to make favorable statements about himself.

7. Brittney Griner

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 32%

Brittney Griner is popular with 32% of Baby Boomers and played basketball for Baylor before the 2013 draft, where she was the number one pick. The Phoenix Mercury chose her as their center, and she’s played with them since 2013. She also played for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, the Beijing Great Wall and UMMC Ekaterinburg. Griner is often recognized because she was arrested in Russia in 2022 after officials found drug paraphernalia in her bags while she was returning home after playing with the Russian Premier League. She was sentenced to nine years in prison but was released in a prisoner trade with Russia in December of the same year.

Griner spent time out of the spotlight after returning home from Russia but eventually opened up in interviews. Many see her situation as avoidable and irresponsible, as she was caught with vaping equipment believed to hold cannabis. The United States was forced to release a violent Russian national in exchange for a WNBA player, and many saw that as a national security issue.

6. Kyrie Irving

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 22%

Kyrie Irving was only popular with 22% of Baby Boomers and has been somewhat of a controversial figure in the NBA. He was the number one pick in the 2011 draft, where he was selected as a point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s also played for the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets and is currently on the Dallas Mavericks roster. In 2016, he earned an NBA championship with the Cavaliers. He’s an 8 time NBA All-Star and was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2014.

Irving is considered a villain in Boston because he appeared to want to commit to the team before he suddenly disappeared to build a super team on the Brooklyn Nets. Irving also refused to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the NBA’s ability to operate within the bubble they’d created for that purpose.

5. Nikola Jokic

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 21%

An NBA player from Serbia, Nikola Jokic was drafted as the 41st pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He started playing with the Denver Nuggets in 2015 and has been there ever since. He won a championship with the team in 2023 and was named the NBA Finals MVP the same year. In 2021, 2022 and 2024 he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and plays the center position.

While Jokic is amazing on the court, many feel he doesn’t do well representing the job off the court. After winning the championship with the Nuggets, fans commented that he couldn’t get home to Serbia fast enough, and didn’t even seem excited to celebrate with his team. He even refused to have a parade at first, but later relented after backlash.

4. James Harden

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 19%

A shooting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden is popular with only 19% of Baby Boomers. He was drafted in 2009 in the first round as the third pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for the Thunder for three seasons before moving on to the Houston Rockets, where he stayed until 2021. He then played for the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers and landed with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2018, he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and he’s a 10 time NBA All-Star.

James Harden is a polarizing figure in the NBA. Some say he’s the most hated player to play in the NBA ever. He’s burned bridges with almost every team he’s played for, and has a tendency to blame his poor performance on the rest of the team. He also hassles the refs and many believe it’s his personal style and attitude that make it hard to like him.

3. Derrick Rose

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 18%

Derrick Rose is a point guard/shooting guard for the Memphis Grizzles. He was drafted in 2008 as the number one pick in the first round by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls. After eight seasons with the Bulls, he then played for the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks again. He’s been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player once and to the NBA All-Star team three times.

Like many other players, Rose loves playing the sport but hates the fame that comes with it. Some fans see that as a snub to them as they invest the money and time into making him a superstar. Rose’s career has also been tainted by injuries, making him an unreliable investment for his teams. Some players question his work ethic.

2. Angel Reese

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 16%

Angel Reese is only popular with 16% of Baby Boomers, and just recently made her transition from college basketball at Louisiana State University to playing for the Chicago Sky. She was selected in the first round as the 7th overall pick and plays power forward. In 2024, she was named a WNBA All-Star and set the record for consecutive double-doubles. She led her team to the NCAA championship in 2023.

Some see Angel Reese’s remarks and confident attitude as “too much,” while others claim hypocrisy in that statement because male basketball players are celebrated for the same thing. In April 2023, when Reese’s team beat Iowa in the NCAA championship, Reese was seen taunting Caitlin Clark. She called it friendly competition while others attacked her for it.

1. DeAndre Jordan

• Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked this player as popular: 14%

DeAndre Jordan is the least popular basketball player with Baby Boomers, ranked at only 14%. He played for one year at Texas A&M before being drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008 NBA draft during the second round, as the 35th overall pick. After playing for the Clippers for 10 years, he also played for the Dallas Mavericks, the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and currently plays for the Denver Nuggets. He’s spent 16 years playing in the NBA and currently plays the center position. Jordan won a championship with the Nuggets in 2023 and was named an NBA All-Star in 2017.

Jordan is disliked likely for a saga involving him, the Clippers and the Mavericks. After a handshake agreement with the Mavericks to sign with them during his free agency, he changed his mind after the Clippers cohort met him at his house for a short meeting and offered him more. Fans saw this as a lack of commitment and a flip flop behavior that is never welcomed in professional sports.

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