Heat F LeBron James "tops the NBA’s global list of jersey sales for this past season," according to Tim Reynolds of the AP. James said having the world’s top-selling jersey "means everything" to him. He added, “When you wear someone's jersey, you actually like believe in them. You believe they can do supernatural things. It's like an extension of our family and I really appreciate that.” Reynolds noted the NBA released the rankings “just days before” the start of the ’13-14 NBA Global Games. Many of the top players on the global-sales list -- including Bulls G Derrick Rose, Lakers G Kobe Bryant and Thunder F Kevin Durant -- “are on teams taking part in this season’s international matchups.” Despite Rose missing all of last season with a knee injury, he “had the top-selling jersey in China, Latin America and Europe.” James' jersey was the “top seller in the Philippines” (AP, 10/2).
| RK |
PLAYER |
RK |
PLAYER |
| 1) |
Heat F LeBron James |
8) |
Nets G Deron Williams |
| 2) |
Bulls G Derrick Rose |
9) |
Clippers F Blake Griffin |
| 3) |
Lakers G Kobe Bryant |
10) |
Celtics G Rajon Rondo |
| 4) |
Tunder F Kevin Durant |
11) |
Lakers G Steve Nash |
| 5) |
Heat G Dwyane Wade |
12) |
Clippers G Chris Paul |
| 6) |
Knicks F Carmelo Anthony |
13) |
Thunder G Russell Westbrook |
| 7) |
Rockets C Dwight Howard (Lakers) |
14) |
Nets F Kevin Garnett (Celtics) |
| |
|
15) |
Nets F Joe Johnson |
PLAYING THE NAME GAME: Nets and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said of the NBA allowing the Nets and the Heat to wear nicknames on the back of player jerseys for at least one game this season, "I think it’s terrific. I’m a big a supporter of it. I think it’s a new way to connect with fans. Nicknames today are really how we reference many of the players, so seeing that come to life on the court and then leveraging it at retail I think is just another opportunity to get people to engage with the brand." He added of the league possibly allowing ads on jerseys, "I'm for it. I think it’s an incredible opportunity to truly align a team with a brand" (
Jillian Fay, Staff Writer).
