LeBron James, Lakers still top in the NBA in merch sales

Since LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, he and the Lakers have led the NBA in merchandise sales every season. Despite the emergence of a super team in the Eastern Conference and the rise of young stars across the league, that was unchanged this season.

According to the list released by the NBA earlier this week, both James and the Lakers lead the league in merchandise sales for player jerseys and team merchandise, respectively, once again. Outside of James and the Lakers, there were plenty of change in the merchandise rankings.

Anthony Davis, who finished third in jersey sales in his first season with the Lakers last year, dropped to 13th this year. The steep decline can probably be attributed to the number of games he missed this past season. Kevin Durant, who missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles, jumped from seventh to third in his second season with the Brooklyn Nets.

Outside of Davis, the players in the top-five stayed the same, though the order changed. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished fifth in jersey sales after his second consecutive MVP season last year, climbed to the No. 2 spot this year. Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum rounded out of the top-five.

As a team, the Lakers finished clear of the Nets, who had a three players in the top-10 in jersey sales. That shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider that the Lakers won a championship less than a year ago, and the fact that they had so many jerseys last season, but it’s still impressive.

Here is the full list of players and teams:

Top 15 most popular jerseys

1. LeBron James
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Kevin Durant
4. Luka Doncic
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Devin Booker
7. Stephen Curry
8. Kyrie Irving
9. James Harden
10. Damian Lillard
11. Trae Young
12. Joel Embiid
13. Anthony Davis
14. Joel Embiid
15. Kawhi Leonard

Top 10 most popular team merchandise

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Phoenix Suns
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Chicago Bulls
6. New York Knicks
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Boston Celtics
9. Golden State Warriors
10. Toronto Raptors

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