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New research has revealed the most popular US sports stars among paparazzi and photographers, with LeBron James taking the top spot.
Sports betting experts at RG analysed the number of Getty Images photos available for over 3,800 US athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, using the search term "[player name] [league]" (e.g., "LeBron James NBA"). The players with the highest number of photos available were ranked as the most paparazzied.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers takes the top spot, with 158,523 photos of him available on Getty Images. This figure accounts for 61.00% of photos available of all players in the Los Angeles Lakers, and 4.93% of photos available of all players in the NBA.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors ranks second, with 104,968 photos, which accounts for 48.71% of photos available of all players on his team, as well as 3.26% of photos of all players in the NBA.
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns follows in third place, with 70,913 photos, making up 38.65% of photos available of all players in the Phoenix Suns, and 2.20% of all players in the NBA.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers ranks fourth, with 70,145 photos. This makes up 40.16% of photos available of all Dodgers players.
Russell Westbrook of the Denver Nuggets takes fifth place, with 56,201 photos, representing 32.21% of photos available of all players on his team.
James Harden of the Los Angeles Clippers ranks sixth, with 53,055 photos. This number accounts for 33.03% of photos available of all Clippers players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks follows in seventh place, with 52,744 photos. This makes up 32.28% of photos available of all players in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies ranks eighth, with 48,813 photos, which accounts for 33.12% of photos available of all Philadelphia Phillies players.
Chris Paul of the San Antonio Spurs takes ninth place, with 47,511 photos, making up 42.82% of photos available of all players on his team.
Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks rounds out the top ten, with 41,492 photos. This figure makes up 24.86% of photos available of all Mavericks players.
The most photographed team is the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, with 259,853 total photos of individual players. Closely following are the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns, both in the NBA, with 215,513 and 183,460 total photos, respectively.
On the other hand, the least photographed team is the MLB’s Miami Marlins, with a total of 18,600 photos.
Paruyr Shahbazyan, founder of RG has commented: “It’s fascinating to see so many NBA players in the top ten, with high-profile stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry topping the list. LeBron James alone accounts for nearly 5% of all NBA photos on Getty Images, highlighting his popularity among the press.
“Interestingly, there are no NFL players in the ranking, despite the league's massive popularity in the US. The highest-ranked NFL player, Patrick Mahomes, only appears in 32nd place. This could be due to NFL players’ helmets and protective gear making them less recognisable in individual photos, compared to basketball players, whose faces are always on display.”
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