Warriors Win Most Popular NBA Jersey Title, But Uncle Drew Also Has Star Power
By Barry Janoff
June 28, 2018: The Golden State Warriors have come up winners again — not just on the court as NBA champs for the third time in four years, but off the court with fans and consumers.
The Warriors topped the NBA list for sales of team merchandise and four Warriors were among the Top 15 list of beat-selling jerseys from April through June, which covers the playoffs and NBA Finals.
Stephen Curry of the Warriors was No. 1 overall with the best-selling jersey during that period, Finals MVP and teammate Kevin Durant was No. 4, Klay Thompson No. 10 and Draymond Green No. 13.
Behind Curry at No. 2 was LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
At No. 3 was Kyrie Irving, who did not play with the Boston Celtics in the post-season (and also missed 22 games during the regular season) due to injury.
However, Irving may have received a huge bump from Uncle Drew, the movie in which he stars (due out June 29), which filled NBA post-season broadcasts with a bevy of commercials and other activation, certainly raising awareness for Irving and his Hollywood alter-ego.
The top spots on the NBA’s most popular jersey and team merchandise lists, respectively, are based on overall sales at NBAStore.com.
Curry and the Warriors have claimed top regular season sales honors for three consecutive seasons, according to the NBA.
The league did not release specific sales figures for the jerseys or merchandise.
This past season was the first for Nike as the league’s official on-court apparel provider, and also the first for jersey ad patches. Jerseys sold at retail for consumers do not have the jersey ad patch.
The Top Five also includes Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, who this past week was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
A year ago during the post-season, the Top Five jersey sales from April-June were Curry, James, Durant, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 9 this past post-season) and Irving.
"Trusting the Process" also helped sell goods for the Sixers: Joel Embiid was No. 8 in jersey sales and the team was No. 4 in merchandise, behind the Warriors, Cavaliers and Celtics, according to the NBA.
The Houston Rockets were No. 5 in team merchandise sales and NBA MVP James Hardne was No. 6 inpost-season jersey sales.
Among other highlights:
• Irving (No. 3), Simmons (No. 5) and Harden earned their highest rankings ever in jersey sales.
• The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (No. 7) and Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan (No. 14) both made their debut on the most-popular jersey list.
• The New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis (No. 15) appears for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
• This is the Celtics first time in the Top Three in merchandise sales since the end of the 2010-11 season.
• The Rockets entered the Top Five in team merchandise sales for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys (April-June 2018)
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
4. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
5. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
6. James Harden, Houston Rockets
7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
8. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
9. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
11. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
12. Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
13. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
14. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
15. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Top Ten Most Popular Team Merchandise
1. Golden State Warriors
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Houston Rockets
6. Los Angeles Lakers
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Toronto Raptors
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Milwaukee Bucks
Source: NBAStore.com