LeBron James may be the best player in the NBA, but Carmelo Anthony is the biggest star on the biggest NBA stage — the scorer leading the best New York Knicks team in more than a decade — and that sells a lot of jerseys.
Anthony moved past LeBron into the top spot in national jersey sales, the NBA announced Tuesday morning. This is based on jersey sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and NBAStore.com from November 2012 to now.
Anthony was fourth last season but the resurgence of the Knicks this season — currently 50-26, second best record in the East — catapulted him up the list, as did the fact he is the NBA’s current leading scorer at 28.4 points per game. Surprisingly, Anthony is the first-ever Knick in the top spot, the NBA said.
LeBron is second, followed by Kevin Durant third, Kobe Bryant fourth and Derrick Rose fifth despite not playing a game this season due to knee surgery in the off-season.
The Knicks also lead the team merchandise sales list, which isn’t a surprise. That is followed by the Heat, Lakers and Nets — the move to Brooklyn and the new Jay-Z designed black-and-silver uniforms and look have made Nets gear a hot item since the start of the season. Plus, the Nets just moved to a much bigger market.
Here is the most popular jersey sales list:
1. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
2. LeBron James, Miami Heat
3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
5. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
6. Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets
7. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
8. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
9. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
10. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
11. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
12. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers
13. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
14. Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks
15. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Top 10 Most Popular Merchandise (by Team)
1. New York Knicks
2. Miami Heat
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Brooklyn Nets
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Boston Celtics
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. San Antonio Spurs
10. Philadelphia 76ers