By Official Release
Posted Apr 30 2009 12:59PM
| Top 15 Most Popular Jerseys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant excels on the hardwood and dominates on the racks, topping this year's list of most popular NBA jerseys. Bryant reclaimed the No. 1 spot, which he held in 2006-07, after being overtaken last year by the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett. The list is based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2008-09 NBA season through April 2009.
Twelve players competing in the 2009 Playoffs appear on the list. The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James regained the No. 2 spot, where he ranked in 2005-06, and the New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul climbed to No. 3, his highest ranking. The Celtics' "Big 3" -- Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- appear on the list at No. 4, No. 7 and No. 12, respectively. The Orlando Magic's 2009 Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors Dwight Howard appears in the Top 10 for the first time at No. 10 and the Chicago Bulls' 2009 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose ranks No. 11.
Fans continue to demand Los Angeles Lakers merchandise as the team tops the NBA's list of most popular team merchandise. Lakers merchandise has been the most popular among fans for six out of the last seven seasons. The Celtics fall to No. 2 after holding the top spot for the first time during its 2008 championship season. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls round out the top five.
2008-09 marks the third season with adidas as the official on-court uniform and apparel provider for the NBA and sales of NBA jerseys increased 7 percent over last year at the NBA Store and NBAStore.com combined.
| Top 10 Most Popular Teams (Merchandise sales): | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Rondo Down the Lane Rajon Rondo sets the screen and takes the pass from Paul Pierce for the layup down the lane. |
 | Lakers vs. Raptors Kobe Bryant sinks a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Lakers move on to beat the Raptors 94-92. |
 | Celtic's on the Run The Celtic's complete the fast break with Rondo threading the needle to Chris Wilcox for the slam. |
 | Bulls vs. Celtics: First half Rajon Rondo scores 16 points in the first half and the Celtics lead the Bulls 48-43 heading into the break. |
 | Stiemsma Blocks and Rondo Scores Greg Stiemsma makes the block and Rajon Rondo races to the basket for the easy deuce. |
 | Rondo's Between the Legs Pass In his attempt to save the ball, Rajon Rondo makes a between the legs pass to Chris Wilcox, who flushes it home. |
 | Bryant's Game Winner Kobe Bryant sinks a jumper with four seconds left on the clock to give the Lakers' a one-point lead. |
 | DeRozan's Baseline And-1 DeMar DeRozan cuts down the baseline for the layup plus the foul. |
 | Big to Big Pass Pau Gasol throws an over the top lob to Andrew Bynum, who flushes home the two-handed dunk. |
 | Bynum to the Rescue Andrew Bynum tips in Kobe's missed jumper right before the buzzer sounds. |
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