NBA Power Rankings: Top 5 NBA Players To Follow on Twitter

Twitter is a unique platform because there is no one way to use it.

Some people like to update their followers on certain events that occur in their everyday lives.

Others use it to report information in a quick and convenient way.

The best part of Twitter is being able to develop your own voice and personality with others over time.

Athletes use Twitter to give fans an unfiltered look at their personalities and hobbies. Some get too personal, while others simply don't get personal enough.

Updating followers about the fact that you have a headache isn't going to do much more than clutter a timeline...but the players using the platform simply to promote a product or brand they are getting paid for might be even worse.

Here is my criteria: informative regarding their play, their team, injuries and any other nuggets regarding the game; interactive with followers; funny (either intentionally or unintentionally); and lack of excessive retweets.

(Side note: Why do fans want to be retweeted by their favorite players so much? Are they now a celebrity on Twitter if they get the player to do it?)

Anyway, here are the top five NBA players in the increasingly important Twitter game...

Honorable Mentions

The honorable mentions make the list because they are not currently playing in the NBA.

Shaquille O'Neal, retired (@Shaq): He was the first athlete to really start using Twitter and has provided plenty of humor. But his biggest tweet was earlier this summer, when he used the platform to announce his retirement after 19 seasons in the league.

That's what I call breaking news.

Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner (@MCuban): The most eccentric owner in sports uses Twitter with plenty of balance. Sure, he promotes his show Shark Tank on occasion, but he also tweets pictures like the one above to make it all worthwhile. The pure joy of winning a championship could be felt through Twitter.

He usually talks about the Mavs, which can give you a vague idea of the thoughts of his team at any particular moment in the season. But he has never stepped foot on the floor.

Here are the five best active NBA players.

5. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

@KevinLove

Love has been masterful with all things media since entering the league two yeas ago. He has yet to turn down an interview and will go to great lengths to stay in the spotlight on a team that is quite possibly the most boring in the league.

He was the guy that allowed NBATV to produce the show 24 Hours with Kevin Love. He had cameras following him around for every minute detail of his life. So of course Twitter is appealing for Love.

He's funny and interacts with fans on a semi-regular basis.

The best part of Love on Twitter is his honesty. When rumors spread that Ricky Rubio was finally coming over to join the team, Love sarcastically said he'll believe it when he sees it. After the news was made official, Love was quick to offer his first impression after seeing Rubio live in person.

It's the unfiltered thoughts that make Love an All-Star on the Twitter team.

4. Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns

@JaredDudley619

The always entertaining Suns forward is a big fan of providing commentary on events that are currently going on.

He has posted multiple tweets on the Casey Anthony trial and the aftermath that has ensued. Dudley also had a few candid tweets about why he thinks New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was a huge snub on this year's MLB All-Star roster.

He is very engaging with fans and tries to throw humor in as much as possible. Rarely will Dudley offer a dry and pointless tweet.

With the number of fans he engages with, you would think he personally knows all 80,000 of his followers. Twitter has given fans a look at how down-to-earth and friendly Dudley is.

3. Nick Collison, Oklahoma City Thunder

@NickCollison4

The seemingly quiet backup power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder doesn't show much emotion or personality on the court. He looks like your typical stiff.

Yet this is far from the real Nick Collison.

The real Nick Collison tweets about going to Vegas as soon as the season ended and how pissed his body was for putting it through such torture.

The real Nick Collison told his followers he delivered a baby in yoga class.

The real Nick Collison even offers his thoughts on the name of Steve Novak's new baby boy, Mack Novak.

He is a funny guy that doesn't tweet a ton, but it's always a treat when he does.

2. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

@DwightHoward

Dwight Howard has the most followers on the list at over 2,110,000, so he has a large and captive audience to satisfy.

"Superman" sure does come through.

Howard is leading the whole planking fad and has tweeted hilarious pictures like this one and this one.

Anytime you can get a 7'0" monster of a man to lie flat atop some of the most random surfaces, you are going to get some comedic gold. Sure, it's insanely bizarre and utterly pointless, but I'm still laughing.

Nobody interacts with his fans in the NBA quite like Howard, as he routinely takes the time to respond to 20 to 30 fans at a time directly. I'd bet those numbers rise even higher with direct messages.

He is a larger than life personality that is the perfect athlete for Twitter.

1. Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Magic

@AgentZeroShow

The still undisputed "King of Comedy" in the NBA, Gilbert Arenas has shifted from blogger to tweeter with ease.

He used to be the good ole boy when he was blogging for NBA.com.

Now he is uncensored on Twitter, and the results can be explosive. He routinely makes off-the-wall comments that make the commissioner's office cringe. He had a flurry of tweets regarding why it's not his fault the contract he signed was worth so much money.

Agent Zero also gets it light by getting in on the planking fad with his tweeting teammate Dwight Howard.

The extravagant Arenas showed off the swimming pool he rented for his kids earlier this summer. The newly single Arenas even live-tweeted during a blind date gone wrong.

Something that sets him apart from the rest are the trivia contests he holds. Almost daily he will ask a random question such as the number Ron Artest wore when he was on the Houston Rockets (answer is 93). The prizes are usually some sort of sneaker that is surely popular at the time. Arenas is a self-proclaimed sneaker freak and has thousands of pairs in his closet.

Add it all up, and you don't know if you are about to get a tweet that will get the Magic guard in trouble, if he will show you a picture of something ridiculous or if you will be winning brand new shoes.

Just like the guy in real life, Gilbert Arenas' Twitter keeps you on your toes.