Guess whose back! LeBron James takes back number one in jersey sales since April 2004 when Kobe Bryant took over number one in jersey sales. From the list of top jerseys sold on NBAStore.com, it shows that James came in first after being second for nearly seven years. Looks like someone is getting a little bit more popular, but it could also be because of his first season as a Miami Heat that his jersey sales skyrocketed.
A pleasant surprise for the number three spot was by Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo who was 15th last year in jersey sales. This was the biggest jump any player has done when it comes to top selling jerseys. On the other hand it was kind of like a tradeoff between Rondo and his teammate Kevin Garnett. Last year Kevin Garnett was number three and went down to the 15th spot in jersey sales.
Another player who increased in popularity was New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire who was ranked number four this year from not making the list last year. Other players who made it to the top were rookies John Wall and Blake Griffin who came in 10th and 11th.
The biggest drop from being in the top 15 was New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul who was seventh last year to not making the list of top sellers. There were the ups and downs with the jersey sales by the player, but there were also the top selling team merchandises that brought up these falling players.
Crazy part of all of this is that although five of the Boston Celtics made the top 15 this year, Rondo No. 3, O’Neal No. 12, Allen No. 13, Pierce No. 14, and Garnett No. 15, Los Angeles Lakers still takes over the top team sales for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
The Los Angeles Lakers has such a large fan base that it is untouchable compared to all of the other NBA teams.
Oklahoma City Thunder made the top ten list for the first time in team history after moving from Seattle. Although they were number six, this was their first appearance in the top ten jersey selling teams. Here is the list of the top ten jersey selling teams in 2010-2011
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Boston Celtics
- Miami Heat
- New York Knicks
- Chicago Bulls
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- San Antonio Spurs
- Denver Nuggets
10. Phoenix Suns
It’s exciting to see how the players do in jersey sales other than their game play because it creates a new buzz for people who want to be involved in basketball, who don’t need to necessarily understand the game.
Who will be the next basketball player to hit number one in jersey sales next season…who knows…