words // Brandon Richard
via Press Release
The reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls secured the top spots on the NBA's Most Popular Jersey and Team Merchandise lists, respectively, based on sales at the temporary NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and on NBAStore.com from April 2011 to present.
After placing fifth last season, Rose holds the number one spot for the first time in his career and helped the Bulls reclaim the top overall spot in team merchandise sales for the first time since April 2001.
After a breakout season that saw him sell the most jerseys in February and March, New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin took the number two spot on the list. Rounding out the top five are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. Since 2001, Bryant has claimed the number one spot six times, while James has held it twice.
The Knicks, who also have Amar'e Stoudemire at number 11 on the jersey list, climbed two spots from last year to become number two in team apparel this year. The Lakers, Heat and 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks follow. Prior to this year, the Lakers occupied the top spot in team merchandise since the end of the 2008 season.
Dallas’ first NBA championship resulted in the team and Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki both joining the top jersey and team merchandise list for the first time since 2008.
The Los Angeles Clippers make their presence known with two players on the list - Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. The last time the Clippers featured two players was in April 2002 with Darius Miles (Number 7) and Lamar Odom (Number 8).
Besides the Knicks, the only other team with three players on the list was the Boston Celtics, with Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.
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