Fourteen athletes are Cowboys fans on the record, and one more used to be. Thirteen of the 14 are NBA players, and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings is the one from the WNBA. The best-known names include Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Dennis Rodman and Luka Doncic, and the full list runs through Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Julius Randle, Cooper Flagg and Bueckers.
Which athletes grew up Cowboys fans?
Several of them are from the Dallas area. Bosh was born in Dallas, and Maxey was too, and he told PhillyVoice in March 2026, "The only thing is, I'm still from Dallas, so I've got to like the Cowboys." Randle was born in Dallas as well and told Sports Illustrated's FanNation, "I’ve always been a passionate supporter of the Cowboys." Cunningham, who was born in Arlington, Texas, told RoundtableSports in December 2025, "I'm a die hard Cowboys fan. I have been my whole life." Bosh told Dallas News in August 2015 about the cost of being a Cowboys fan: "When you're a Cowboys fan like me, 'people give you crap everywhere'"
Others grew up fans from farther away. Paul, who was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told the Clippers' site in 2013, "I've been a die-hard Cowboys fan since I was a small child." Iverson, from Hampton, Virginia, told Dallas News in 2017, "My mom made me a Cowboy." Westbrook, from Long Beach, California, was 6 when the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994. Rodman, who attended South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, was quoted by Basketball Time Machine saying, "You know the Dallas Cowboys are my team, right?"
Which players have said so in their own words?
Most of the list has. Doncic, who was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, told Dallas News in January 2023, "I've liked them since the beginning, since I learned about the sport." Nowitzki, born in Würzburg, West Germany, told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth in 2013, "Man. It's stressful supporting the cowboys." O'Neal was asked by Deion Sanders in an NFL Network interview in 2017 whether the Cowboys were still his team, and Dallas News reported that he answered, "Always, baby."
Which players are reported fans rather than confirmed ones?
Four players are reported fans, and the outlets differ in what they say. Athlon Sports, syndicated on Yardbarker in May 2025, reported that Antetokounmpo named the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys as his favourite NFL teams. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth wrote in 2016 that Westbrook "hasn’t really ever hid his fandom." Sportskeeda reported in November 2025 that Bueckers is a big fan of the Cowboys, and in December 2025 it quoted Flagg as saying, "I'm a Cowboys fan now." Flagg, who was born in Newport, Maine, is the one on the list whose fandom dates only from 2025.
Which athletes used to be Cowboys fans?
LeBron James is the one player who used to be. He told CNN in October 2016, "I love the Bulls, I love the Cowboys, I love the Yankees," and his fandom is recorded as running from childhood to 2022. Dallas won Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, the year he turned 9, Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994, the year he turned 10, and Super Bowl XXX in 1996, the year he turned 12.
Questions people ask
Which athlete is the most famous Cowboys fan?
That is a judgment call, but the players with the clearest on-record statements include Shaquille O'Neal ("Always, baby"), Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul and Luka Doncic. LeBron James has also said he loved the Cowboys, though that fandom has ended.
Which athletes grew up Cowboys fans?
Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Chris Bosh, Tyrese Maxey and Cade Cunningham have all said they have been fans since childhood or all their lives. Julius Randle and Dennis Rodman have also said the team is theirs.
Is there a WNBA player who is a Cowboys fan?
Yes, Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings. Sportskeeda reported in November 2025 that she is a big fan of the Cowboys, and the report does not come from her own words.
Which athletes used to be Cowboys fans?
LeBron James. He said in 2016 that he loved the Cowboys, and his fandom is recorded as having ended in 2022.