Which athletes are Patriots fans?
Three basketball players have a documented tie to the New England Patriots: Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, and Shabazz Napier, now retired. Two come from the NBA and one from the WNBA. None of the three is a football player, and none has an ended fandom.
Which athletes grew up Patriots fans?
Flagg is the clearest case, and he said so himself. Sportskeeda reported on December 10, 2025 that he told it: "I was a Patriots fan growing up just 'cause that's the closest one to Maine, but I'm not a huge football fan in general." He was born in Newport, Maine, on December 21, 2006, and attended Nokomis Regional there before Montverde Academy in Florida. His fandom dates to childhood, and by his own account it came from geography more than from any deep interest in the sport.
The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, the year he turned 9, Super Bowl LI in 2017, the year he turned 11, and Super Bowl LIII in 2019, the year he turned 13.
Napier has a Boston background. He was born in Boston and went to Charlestown High School in the city, then Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts. CBS News Miami carried his comments from a WQAM interview, in which he said, "I'm a diehard fan for the Patriots." That is a reported quote from an outlet, not a post of his own. The Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, the year he turned 11, Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, the year he turned 13, and Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, the year he turned 14.
Which athlete is the most famous Patriots fan?
On name recognition within this group, Clark and Flagg are the biggest, and the two arrive at the Patriots from different places. Clark was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and went to Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines. Her tie comes from remarks on the New Heights podcast, which Yahoo Sports reported, citing Patriots Wire as the original source. The line quoted was: "Honestly, I'll probably be pulling for the Patriots." This is a reported item and it is phrased as a lean toward the team, so it should be read as an outlet's account of her comments, not as a stated lifelong fandom.
Which athletes are Patriots fans by league?
Flagg is on the Mavericks, and his career team on record is Dallas. Napier's career is the longest of the three. It runs through the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards, with stops that include Zenit Saint Petersburg, Olimpia Milano, Crvena zvezda and Bayern Munich. He is retired. Clark's career team on record is the Indiana Fever.
How the three tiers differ
Only Flagg is confirmed in his own words, and his page can say he has said it. Clark and Napier are both reported by outlets, so each should be read as what Yahoo Sports and CBS News Miami carried, not as a confirmed personal statement of fandom. Nothing in the record puts any of the three as a former fan.
Questions people ask
Which athletes are Patriots fans?
Cooper Flagg, Caitlin Clark and Shabazz Napier. Flagg has said it himself, while Clark and Napier are reported by outlets.
Which athletes grew up Patriots fans?
Flagg said he was a Patriots fan growing up because they were the closest team to Maine, where he was born. Napier grew up in Boston and went to high school there, and CBS News Miami reported him calling himself a "diehard fan for the Patriots."
Famous Patriots fans in basketball
All three known Patriots fans on record are basketball players: Flagg and Napier from the NBA, and Clark from the WNBA.