The NBA released its list of bestselling gear by player and team. The reigning Most Valuable Player and NBA champion sit atop the cash-register rankings.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry sells more jerseys than any other player. Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant follow. A newcomer surprises by cracking the top five. The New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis fourth in the draft and he places fourth in jersey sales for the period from October through December. Averaging 14 points and eight rebounds a game, the 20-year-old Latvian center represents promise for Knicks fans accustomed to broken ones as of late. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls rounds out the top five.
Last season, LeBron James sold more jerseys than any other player. It marked the sixth time in his career that his gear outsold the merchandise of all other players in the NBA. But already at the close of the 2014-2015 regular season, Curry closed on the top spot. He ended the regular season at number two for the year, with Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Rose behind him.
But Curry’s momentum grew after winning an MVP and an NBA Finals in the subsequent months. Sales for the quarter previous to the one just released show Curry beating James then, too. It seems inevitable that Curry surpasses James for sales on the year once the regular season ends.
Curry averages 30 points and 6.4 assists this season. The Golden State Warriors own the best record in basketball by far at 38-4. His Warriors destroyed LeBron’s Cavaliers in Cleveland by 34 points on Monday.
Unsurprisingly, the champions move more merch than any other team. Big-market and contender clubs follow: the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks round out the top five.