Cavaliers' On-Court Success Helps Boost Team's Merchandise Sales

LeBron An "A-Plus-Plus-Plus" Merchandise Mover

The NBA playoffs have been underway for just four days, but the Cavaliers already are “breaking nearly all of their records for merchandising sales,” according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Cavaliers Dir of Merchandising Michael Thom said that the team “ranked eighth in the NBA in per-fan sales last season,” but this season, the team was ranked third behind the Celtics and Lakers heading into April. Thom believes that the Cavaliers "could pass Boston and finish No. 2, remarkable for a middle-market city in the middle of an economic recession that has hit this area as hard as anywhere in the country.” Thom said that Cavaliers F LeBron James is an “'A-plus-plus-plus’ mover of merchandise.” He added G Mo Williams is a “grade A,” while G Delonte West has been “third on the list.” Pluto notes “little kids especially like” Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson, and when Gibson “has a good game, sales of his merchandise spike.” Thom said that there is a “shirt with nearly every player’s name on it, and at most games, they will even sell ‘six to eight’ with seldom-used" rookie Fs J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson. Thom: “Fans don’t just love LeBron, they love the whole team.” In their first playoff game Saturday against the Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena, the team “doubled the sales of their opening playoff game against” the Wizards in ’08. Overall, team sales are “up 45[%], more than double the increase of any other team’s merchandise this season” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/22).