NBA tops Google’s list of US trending searches in 2021

“NBA” ranked No. 1 on Google’s list of trending searches in the United States for 2021, according to the trends lists published on Wednesday by the search engine.

The National Basketball Association took the top spot as the league’s stars often comment on current events. 

Rapper DMX, who died in April, ranked second on Google’s U.S. trending searches list followed by Gabby Petito, who was found dead earlier this year after going on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend. Ranked fourth was Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen acquitted last month of fatally shooting two protesters and wounding a third during protests last year.

Brian Laundrie, Petito’s boyfriend who authorities say died of a self-inflicted gunshot after some of his remains were found in October, ranked fifth in Google’s U.S. trending searches list.

Rittenhouse was also ranked No. 1 for Google’s trending list of people followed by Tiger Woods, Alec Baldwin, Travis Scott and Simone Biles. 

Earlier this year, Woods was involved in a one-car crash while on his way to Rolling Hills Country Club, located less than 30 miles south of Los Angeles. The incident left him with back and leg injuries, but in an update shared in last month on Twitter he said that he was “making progress.”

Baldwin has been in the news over the last few months after he was involved in a deadly film scene on the set of “Rust.” A firearm, which he was told was “cold,” was discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin, however, denied pulling the trigger on his gun.

“I’m shooting just off … in her direction. I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit was what I was told, I don’t know. This was a completely incidental shot, an angle that may not have ended up in the film at all,” Baldwin said during an ABC interview with anchor George Stephanopoulos.

“So then I said to her ‘Now in this scene, I’m going to cock the gun.’ I said, ‘Do you want to see that?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So I take the gun, and I start to cock the gun. I’m not going to pull the trigger,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos. “I said, ‘Do you see the shot? ‘Well just cheat it down and tilt it down a little bit like that.’ And I cock the gun and I go ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And she says — and I let go of the hammer of the gun and the gun goes off.”

Scott and Biles have also made headlines, this year, too. Scott has been dealing with the deadly fallout of a concert that earlier this year left 10 people dead and many other injured after a crowd surged toward the stage during a performance. On Monday, he sought to dismiss 11 legal challenges filed against him.

Biles has also been in the news for her performance during the Olympics, including withdrawing from several competitions and underscoring the need to place mental health first. Her decision was lauded by other athletes and her sponsors.

Among Google’s U.S. trending news list were Mega Millions followed by AMC stock, stimulus check, Georgia Senate race and GME, GameStop Corp.’s stock name.