The Hornets are the No. 1 team in total sales of NBA-licensed products -- including jerseys, caps, computer games, andother products -- for the 1st quarter of the '94-95 season. TheBulls have led the league since the '89-90, but have fallen to2nd. Joe Martucci, manager of Modell's Sporting Goods in NewYork: "Last year, people really didn't get the effect of Michael(Jordan) not being on the Bulls. This year we have noticed it insales" (Tom Lowry, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/20). The complete listincludes:
| 1 | HORNETS | 6 | KNICKS |
| 2 | BULLS | 7 | RAPTORS |
| 3 | MAGIC | 8 | WARRIORS |
| 4 | SUNS | 9 | GRIZZLIES |
| 5 | SONICS | 10 | CELTICS |
NBA Marketing Communications Manager Jon Stern said theHornets success is worldwide, and attributed it to a "combinationof the teal, the way they've marketed themselves and the logo."The Hornets were the first pro team to have teal as their primarycolor. Stern also pointed to the popularity of the Hornets'version of the video game "NBA Jam" as a parameter of theirsuccess. Team President Spencer Stolpen said their researchshows the Hornet's merchandise to be the top seller among "inner-city minority youth." Stolpen: "The irony is the smallest marketin the NBA is now the top-selling merchandiser" (Ron Green,CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/19). Stern said that NBA Properties isprojecting over $3B in sales worldwide for '94-95. The Raptorsand Grizzlies, two expansion franchises who have yet to play agame, both made strong initial showings (THE DAILY). RaptorsConsumer Products Dir David Strickland estimated his team and theGrizzlies "may have sold as much as $100M in merchandise and thatis without having team uniforms on the markets, traditionally oneof the fastest moving items" (Craig Daniels, Toronto GLOBE &MAIL, 1/19).
