The top four jersey sellers in the NBA play for either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors, so it's not shocking that the Warriors lead the NBA in merchandise with the Cavs second, the NBA announced its results based on sales at the NBAstore.com.
What is surprising is that the Los Angeles Lakers rank third in the NBA in terms of merchandise sold despite not having a clear star player on the team or even a clear emerging star. No Lakers' player ranks in top 15 jerseys sold in the NBA, and LA is the only team in the top seven in merchandise sold to hold that distinction.
Meanwhile, young emerging stars like Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks ranks seventh in jerseys sold, which helps explain the Knicks coming in fifth in total merchandise sold. Also helping the Knicks is the fact that Derrick Rose ranks 10th in jerseys sold and Carmelo Anthony ranks 15th.
Dwyane Wade's move back to his native Chicago played a part in the Bulls finishing fourth in overall merchandise, along with Jimmy Butler jumping up to no. 9 on the jerseys list.
Still, one should repeat that the Lakers don't have any players on the list, which only further goes to prove that the Lakers' brand continues to be healthy while the basketball team is sick to its stomach. As of Tuesday, the Lakers were last in the Western Conference and tied for the second worst record in the NBA.
And yet, the iconic purple and gold brand continues to flourish.
Conspicuously missing for the list are the LA Clippers. Despite a logo rebrand and revamping of marketing activities to go along with three clear stars on the court, the Clippers did not make the top 10 list for the NBA's most popular team merchandise. Likewise, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan did not make the cut for the top 15 most popular jerseys either.
Considering Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers for $2 billion, one can only wonder what the Lakers' would sell for should the Buss family decide to sell the team. Even if the Lakers are drowning on the court, the Lakers' brand doesn't appear to be sinking.
