On December 8, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a three-team trade for one of the NBA’s best point guards, Chris Paul. But NBA fans may never know what Chris Paul looks like in a Lakers jersey because commissioner David Stern blocked the trade. Sportswriter Bill Simmons says the NBA has lost its way, and the blocked trade was the worst moment in commissioner Stern’s era. We used Social Radar to analyze conversations around the NBA online.

NBA conversation topic cloud

Just when the NBA lockout ended and buzz seemed to be trending positively, NBA buzz is now nearly 50% negative. The Chris Paul trade is the biggest topic of NBA conversations online, and conversations around the trade are 76% negative.

Do you think the NBA brand is tarnished in light of recent events?