A verified Twitter account, seemingly the holy grail of social media, yet only a select few qualify for one.
If you’re not aware of what a verified account on Twitter is, it is a blue badge with a tick that signifies the user’s authenticity. It is mostly used for celebrities, sports stars, well-known media companies, recognised journalists and overall personalities.
Now you might remember in mid-October, we published seven Twitter accounts that personally should be verified, although these were just our opinions at TB HQ.
Out of the seven that we listed, three of them have since been verified. Tyrese Rice, Panathinaikos and BC Khimki have now got the blue rubber stamp beside their user names, while the other four wait.
But after searching the Twitter world far and wide, we have found some more, starting with one that has surprised a few of us here considering its importance.
EUROCUP (@eurocup)
The Euroleague is European basketball’s leading club competition, followed by the Eurocup, with the FIBA Europe-ran Eurochallenge considered the third-tier tournament.
Amazingly, the second-tier Eurocup Twitter account is not verified, while the Euroleague and Eurochallenge is. Even the Euroleague Women and Eurocup Women have blue badges beside them.
BRITISH BASKETBALL LEAGUE (@BBLofficial)
Some people will think that this is a bias choice, but with the majority of basketball leagues around the globe being verified, why not the vastly improving British Basketball League?
Rising attendances, teams playing in purpose-built arenas, more media recognition and a higher level of player competition, Great Britain’s premier league of basketball is making strides in the right direction and hopefully the Twitter chiefs will take note at some stage.
TOMAS VAN DEN SPIEGEL (@tomasvds)
A former Belgian Player of the Year, a two-time Euroleague champion with CSKA Moscow and an illustrious basketball career that has involved spells at Real Madrid and EA7 Milano make Tomas Van Den Spiegel a worthy candidate for the blue rubber stamp.
But no.
The veteran is still a member of the regular family like us. He does still remain one of TB’s favourite European players ever. And we still own and watch the Belgium, Eurobasket 2011 documentary that he sent to us.
ANDREW SULLIVAN (@drewsullivan8)
The majority of Team GB athletes, regardless of what sport they participated in at the London 2012 Olympics received a blue badge next to their name.
For Great Britain’s basketball stars, Kieron Achara, Robert Archibald and women’s captain Julie Page were among those who got verified, but for the senior men’s captain and perhaps one of British basketball’s most influential figures, Drew Sullivan, was left out.
Having helped the London Lions to the BBL Playoff final last month and hitting a game-high 27 points, despite the loss, Sullivan is still amongst the best that GB has to offer, domestically in the country. He is also due to win his 100th cap for the Brits when they face New Zealand on July 25, in an exhibition game.
