75 years and going, the National Basketball Association (NBA) enjoys a large following at Amador Valley High School, and students support many different teams for a wide variety of reasons.

With Amador Valley located near San Francisco and within the Bay Area, many students support the region’s premier basketball team: The Golden State Warriors. This serves as a popular opinion as many fans naturally support their hometown team.

“It was the first team I ever saw when I moved to America. Everybody in San Francisco is a Warriors fan so you can relate to everyone and you are not called a bandwagon fan. Pretty much everybody in Amador is a Warriors fan,” said Yash Kansal (’23).

While the students at Amador declare their loyalty to the Golden State Warriors, others are drawn to particular players on other teams. Pranav Abhinand Iyer (’24) started supporting the Cleveland Cavaliers after being drawn in by their star athlete LeBron James.

According to ESPN, James performed at his best in 2016, where he scored 26 points per game and led his team to claim the championship. He helped his team recover from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals with his electrifying performances that captured the audience’s love.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest players of our generation and he is a really stand-up dude. He supports a lot of small businesses and he has a bunch of non-profits. He supports a lot of impoverished children,” said Iyer.

Whether supporting a franchise player or hometown team, NBA fans can build deeper relationships with their team’s city. Each team represents a specific town culture that allows its fans to relate beyond basketball. 

“I think the (Philadelphia 76ers do) a lot of good things for the city. They have food drives that support the city. I lived in Philadelphia for half my life so the 76ers helped me strengthen that connection,” said Case Bahl (’24).