Back in January we showed you which NBA teams have the largest following on Facebook and Twitter. Combining both, the LA Lakers had more than 2 million followers on the now well known social media sites, besting the 2nd place Orlando Magic by more than 1 million people. So it should come to no surprise that during the ’09-’10 season, the Lakers also led the NBA in overall team merchandise sales and had the highest selling individual jersey: Kobe Bryant’s # 24.
Here is a list of the Top Ten Most Popular in team merchandise sales:
- LA Lakers
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Chicago Bulls
- NY Knicks
- Denver Nuggets
- Orlando Magic
- Miami Heat
- San Antonio Spurs
- Phoenix Suns
The Lakers once again remain in high demand, since they have ranked #1 for 7 of the last 8 seasons. The Celtics also are in the runner up spot for the 2nd consecutive year, while the Cavaliers continue to climb the rankings and are a very close 3rd behind Boston. Of course, that could change if Lebron James goes elsewhere in free agency. Amazingly, even though the NY Knicks had another disappointing season, they held on to the #5 spot. It just goes to show you the power of the “Big Apple” as far as marketing. Are you listening Lebron, Wade, and Co?
Here are the Top 15 Most Popular Individual Jerseys:
- Kobe Bryant
- Lebron James
- Kevin Garnett
- Derrick Rose
- Dwight Howard
- Dwyane Wade
- Chris Paul
- Paul Pierce
- Kevin Durant
- Carmelo Anthony
- Nate Robinson
- David Lee
- Brandon Roy
- Pau Gasol
So even though Lebron James is wildly popular, he still cannot surpass Kobe in jersey sales. Surprisingly KG still ranks 3rd, even though he is clearly not the same player of years past. I guess either you love him or hate him, but you still buy his jersey. Chris Paul is wildly popular even though he plays in a small market like New Orleans. It’s good to see this year’s scoring champ, Kevin Durant, cracking the Top 10. In another example of the power of New York, David Lee and Nate Robinson, even though he finished the year in Boston, both finished in the Top 15. If you count Nate as a member of the Celtics, they are the only NBA team with 3 players in the Top 11 jerseys. I’m a bit surprised that Iverson in his return to Philly is a no show. It’s also a bit surprising that Phoenix ranked #10 in overall merchandise, yet Nash or Stoudemire didn’t make the Top 14. One trend to watch will be whichever superstar goes to the Knicks will surely make it on this list for next year.
Via: NBA.com
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.
