Abstract
The advent of social media has introduced an intensity to NBA fandom that has been invisible up until now. Fans have always seen themselves as part of the team, often referring to the exploits of the club they support with “we” pronouns and taking ownership of wins or losses along with the resulting psychic strain. But social media engagement have heightened the feeling of connection to a team, facilitated in part by the “parasocial” dimension of social media engagement. One illustrative avenue for understanding this relationship is through Jacques Lacan’s elaboration of psychoanalytic transference. Lacan’s theories of transference, brought to bear on the complex racial politics of NBA fan culture, can elucidate this complex sociological and philosophical nexus.