Is Shabazz Napier a Patriots fan?

What has Shabazz Napier said about the New England Patriots?

Shabazz Napier told WQAM in an interview, carried by CBS News Miami, that "I'm a diehard fan for the Patriots." The conversation dates from his rookie season with the Miami Heat, though the page that carries it doesn't give a calendar date. Because the words are his own, they are a first-person statement of allegiance, and the relationship is that of a stated favorite. The outlet is the one reporting it, which is why the tier here is Reported: the claim reached readers through CBS News Miami rather than through a post or statement from Napier himself.

Did Shabazz Napier grow up a Patriots fan?

Napier was born July 14, 1991, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, to Carmen Velásquez, a native of Puerto Rico, and Alex Napier. Wikipedia says he grew up in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood, where he took a liking to basketball. He attended Charlestown High School in Boston and later Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, before going to UConn from 2010 to 2014. That is a Massachusetts upbringing from start to finish, and the Patriots play in Foxborough, so the team he named is the NFL club of his home state. Nothing in the sources says when he started following them or whether he did so as a child, so the geography is context rather than an explanation.

When did Shabazz Napier become a Patriots fan?

No date or period for the start of his fandom is given. What can be said is how the Patriots' success lined up with his years growing up. The team won Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 (the 2001 season), when he turned 11, Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 (the 2003 season), when he turned 13, and Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 (the 2004 season), when he turned 14. Those are plain facts about the team's titles during his boyhood and teens, set beside his birth year, and they are not offered as the reason he follows them.

Which other athletes are Patriots fans?

Two other players are tied to the Patriots in the sources. Caitlin Clark is reported to be a fan, and Cooper Flagg has said he grew up one. Neither detail changes anything about Napier's own statement, which is current as of that interview and has no end date or counter-source attached.

Questions people ask

Is Shabazz Napier a Patriots fan?

Reportedly, yes. CBS News Miami carried a WQAM interview from his rookie season with the Heat in which he said, "I'm a diehard fan for the Patriots."

Does Shabazz Napier like the New England Patriots?

Yes, according to a report. CBS News Miami, in a WQAM interview from his rookie season with the Miami Heat, quoted Shabazz Napier as saying "I'm a diehard fan for the Patriots" and described the Patriots as his stated favorite. The fandom is reported by that outlet rather than confirmed in a separate statement from him.

Did Shabazz Napier grow up a Patriots fan?

He was born in Boston and grew up in the Mission Hill neighborhood, but the sources don't say when he started following the team. His statement comes from his rookie season with the Heat.

Which other athletes are Patriots fans?

Caitlin Clark is reported to be a Patriots fan, and Cooper Flagg has said he grew up one.