Brandon Dwyer, who only had 6 points throughout the duration of his collegiate basketball career, has a following of 1.4 million on TikTok and 532,000 on Instagram.
Historically, athletes have needed traditional media such as TV or magazines, or major brand deals with household names such as Gatorade or Nike to build a brand. With the rise of social media, athletes can now use platforms such as TikTok or Instagram to create highly-engaged audiences on their own.
Jared McCain, a shooting guard (SG)/point guard (PG) for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has created a name for himself on and off the court. With a total contract value of about $19 million after being drafted 16th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, McCain has proved himself to be a talented basketball player.
Since his high school days at Centennial, McCain has been creating a following for himself on many platforms, especially TikTok. His persona opened up many doors for partnerships, starting as early as his teenage years. During his time at Duke, it is estimated that McCain made over $1 million with major deals from brands such as Crocs, Cash App, and Celcius. McCain currently has 5.5 million followers on TikTok, and he has over 30 videos with more than 10 million views. Additionally, he has a following of over 2 million on Instagram, and over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube.
On top of his NBA salary, McCain also generates revenue from his social media following. While his exact earnings are private, platform (TikTok) estimates suggest it is possible that he makes thousands per post. Whether the former Duke star posts a dance with his teammates, or creates a post about painting his nails, his brand continues to grow with each interaction.
Similar to the NBA star, many other professional athletes utilize social media to expand their brands. Younger athletes like Sky Brown, a skateboarder who competes for Great Britain, and certain household names like Cristiano Ronaldo (who also happens to be the most followed athlete and person on Instagram), Serena Williams, and Lionel Messi have great followings across all platforms.
Below are some of the most followed athletes on Instagram:
| Name | Sport | Followers (Instagram) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | ~670 Million |
| Lionel Messi | Soccer | ~510 Million |
| Virat Kohli | Cricket | ~273 Million |
| Neymar Jr. | Soccer | ~242 Million |
| LeBron James | Basketball | ~154 Million |
| Kylian Mbappe | Soccer | ~136 Million |
| David Beckham | Soccer | ~88 Million |
| Sergio Ramos | Soccer | ~66 Million |
| Mohamed Salah | Soccer | ~65 Million |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Soccer | ~64 Million |
Below are some of the most followed athletes on TikTok:
| Name | Sport | Followers (TikTok) |
| Neymar Jr. | Soccer | ~47 Million |
| Lamine Yamal | Soccer | ~62 Million |
| Vinicus Jr. | Soccer | ~39 Million |
| Sergio Ramos | Soccer | ~23 Million |
| Ronaldinho | Soccer | ~28 Million |
| Marcelo Vieira | Soccer | ~14 Million |
| Toni Kroos | Soccer | ~14 Million |
| Sergio Aguero | Soccer | ~12 Million |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Soccer | ~13 Million |
| Robert Lewandowski | Fitness | ~12 Million |
