The Twitter infatuation has quickly spread to the world of professional sports, and the number of athletes using the service is growing daily. Through tweeting, athletes can connect and engage fans, build up their personal brand, grow and nurture their fan base, and even ask for help! Fans who grew up idolizing their favorite stars now have a chance to interact with them, and offer them advice and support. I complied a list of the top 10 NBA ballers (in no particular order) you should all be following on Twitter, because they are what makes the NBA “Where Twitter Happens.”

1) Shaquille O’Neal – @THE_REAL_SHAQ

Shaq (A.K.A Shaqtus, The Diesel, The Big Aristotle…) is one of the NBA’s most popular all time players.  Following 585 accounts, his 2,911,684  followers make him the most popular baller on Twitter. Though he doesn’t tweet every day, he is known to interact with his followers, and even uses the live broadcasting service Ustream. After all, how can you not follow someone with a bio that reads “Very quotatious. I perform random acts of Shaqness“.

2) Amar’e Stoudemire – @Amareisreal

Amar’e is another big man with a big Twitter presence. He Follows 182 people, and has 70,935 followers. He is very interactive, and often times re-tweets fans before answering their questions. Amar’e has a calm twitter personality, and always has nice things to say about the community, other players and even opposing fans. One of the most pleasant athletes to follow on Twitter, in my mind.

3) Dwyane Wade – @dwadeofficial

Considered by many to be amongst the top 3 players in the world, D-Wade follows 122 users and has a following of 309,325. A Frequent tweeter, Wade will keep you entertained by mentioning basketball, his friends, and personal activities. He likes to do unique things and let the world know about them. Whether it is the trending topic he tried to start on May 12, or the theater he rented for his movie “Just Wright”, he will make sure you are aware of it! His latest trend? #MaMaWade, which are quotes he receives from his mother and shares with the world. The Marquette grad is truly striving for an international presence and wants you to be a part of it.

4) Charlie Villanueva – @CV31

One of the nicest guys in the NBA also happens to be one of Twitter’s most popular. Following 342, the Pistons forward has 83,743 followers. Through following Charlie, you will enjoy his thoughts about basketball, personal life, and the many charitable efforts he is involved in. He is also very proud of his Hispanic heritage and the many communities he is a part of. A humble person in nature, Charlie takes time to respond to his fans and on April 13 he conducted 31 questions with CV31, where he answered 31 fan questions. My favorite came from  @Need4Sheed_com who asked “Who would win a cage match between Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye?” Charlies answer was “LOL, Tayshaun because AD is still a rookie.” I wonder if that fight would happen before Mayweather V Pacquiao

5) Chris Bosh – @chrisbosh

While Toronto is building campaigns to keep Bosh in Canada, the raptor is building up his Twitter brand. Following only 39 accounts, he has 114,148 Followers. Bosh tweets about nothing and everything. Whether it is daily activities, basketball opinions, or what he is having for lunch, he will keep you entertained with all news concerning Chris Bosh. The only question he doesn’t want to answer is “Where will you play next year?”

6) Lamar Odom – @RealLamarOdom

Following 44 and being Followed by 702,246, Lamar is a Hollywood man with a down to earth Twitter personality. Player for the Los Angeles Lakers and husband to Khloe Kardashian seems like a glamor filled life, but Lamar doesn’t update us about his Hollywood encounters. Instead, he takes pride in interacting with his fans, trying to answer most tweets he gets. When he isn’t answering your burning questions, Lamar tweets links to charities and foundations. A pleasant person to follow!

7) Dwight Howard – @DwightHoward

Dwight is a unique Twitter user. He Follows a whopping 4,386 accounts and is Followed by 1,565,600. What makes him unique is his tweeting pattern. He may spend a day responding to tweets without firing a single public tweet, and then spend a few days not responding to a single mention. He also tends to repeat his tweets, though many of them are for good causes such as the Dwight Howard Fund. At 8,779 total tweets, the Orlando star is one of the busiest users, and most unpredictable.

8 ) Fabricio Oberto – @obricio7

A surprise pick for this list? Not really. The Wizards player Follows 104 accounts and is Followed by 329,568 – a bigger following than many of the more known players on this list. Though most his tweets are in Spanish, Fabricio answers fans and continues to grow his brand both in the United States and Argentina, where he is a national hero. I need to brush up on my Spanish, so I can follow his tweets more closely.

9) Chris Paul – @oneandonlycp3

One of the league’s best Point Guards, Chris Paul Follows 254 and has 114,201 Followers. He frequently tweets about personal life, including his celebrity friends in his tweets. He frequently spreads love to his family and friends, but doesn’t seem to answer too many mentions. However, he always seems like he is in a good mood, so CP3 fans will have a lot to enjoy

10) Mark Cuban – @mcuban

Ok, I know his basketball skills aren’t quite NBA level (as we saw in the celebrity game during the All Star break), but Mark is an important personality to follow on Twitter. Not only is he one of the country’s most famous owners, he is an entrepreneurial minded individual, with knowledge and experience anyone can learn from. Following 657, his 140,716 Followers enjoy his opinion about technology, finance, innovations, charitable programs, and much more. Definitely worth the follow!

Bonus Follow: NBA – @NBA

The league is a popular entity on Twitter. Following 702 accounts, its 1,869,414 make it the 69th most powerful Twitter account in the world. (According to Twittergrader). The NBA will spread information about your favorite player and team so you always stay current on the league’s news. In fact, in the time it took me to type this, the NBA gained 7 followers. Will you be next?

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Images by Keith Allison
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Tags: Amar'e Stoudemire, athletes and social media, Basketball, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, D-Wade, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Fabricio Oberto, fans, human interest, Lamar Odom, Mark Cuban, NBA, nba players, Personal Branding, player, Shaquille O'Neal, Social Media, Sports, sports on Twitter, top 10, Twitter, web 2.0

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