Houston Proves It’s Still “Clutch City”
The NBA Finals tip off this week, and while the battle for the championship is grabbing headlines, a new study shows Houston remains one of the best basketball cities in America.
Personal finance website WalletHub has released its 2026 rankings of the Best and Worst Cities for Basketball Fans. The study compared more than 290 cities across 21 different categories, including team performance, ticket prices, fan engagement, attendance, and arena accessibility.
Houston finished 7th overall nationally and 6th among large cities, reinforcing its reputation as one of the country’s strongest basketball markets.
Here are some of Houston’s individual rankings:
- 20th – Performance Level of NBA Team(s)
- 137th – Performance Level of NCAA Division I Basketball Team(s)
- 10th – Average Ticket Price for NBA Games
- 25th – NBA Stadium Capacity
- 9th – Number of NBA Championship Wins
- 36th – Number of NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Wins
- 17th – NBA Attendance
- 14th – NBA Fan Engagement
Houston’s strongest showings came in affordability, fan support, and championship history. The city ranked in the Top 10 for both NBA ticket prices and NBA championship wins, while also posting strong marks for attendance and fan engagement.
The college basketball side of the rankings was less impressive, with Houston finishing 137th in NCAA Division I team performance. However, the city’s passionate NBA fan base more than made up for it in the overall standings.
With the average NBA franchise now worth an estimated $5.4 billion, basketball continues to be one of the most valuable sports in America. And according to WalletHub’s latest report, Houston remains one of the nation’s premier cities for basketball fans.
Fingers crossed that next year, I’m writing about The Rockets in the Finals!
Doug O’Brien
