NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2007 – The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has the most popular jersey in the NBA, moving up three spots from the end of last season on the NBA's Most Popular Jersey List. Bryant, who had the most popular jersey during the 2002-03 season, regained the lead from the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade who held the top spot since May 2005. Wade drops to No. 2 on the list and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James comes in at No.3. The rankings are based on jersey sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2006-07 NBA season through Dec. 31, 2006.

New teammates Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets round out the top five with the fourth and fifth most popular jerseys, respectively. With the Dec. 19, 2006 trade of Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nuggets, the All-Star guard moved up three spots on the list from his No. 7 rank before the trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers remained No. 1 on the league’s Most Popular Team Merchandise List for the fifth consecutive season, while the NBA Champion Miami Heat moved up one spot to second. The New York Knicks rank third and the Chicago Bulls are fourth. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the largest jump on the list this year, moving up from No. 8 last year to No. 5.

Washington Wizards’ guard Gilbert Arenas and 2006 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Chris Paul from the New Orleans/OK City Hornets make their debut in the Top 15, coming in at No. 8 and No. 14, respectively.

The NBA Store had its strongest sales quarter in history in the fourth quarter of 2006 including the best November sales ever and the largest single sales month ever during December 2006. This season marks the first with adidas as the official on-court uniform and apparel provider for the NBA.

The NBA’s Most Popular Jersey List and the Most Popular Team Merchandise List are listed below.

Top 15 Players: 1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers 2. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat 3. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers 4. Allen Iverson – Denver Nuggets 5. Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets 6. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns 7. Vince Carter – New Jersey Nets 8. Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards 9. Shaquille O’Neal – Miami Heat 10. Stephon Marbury – New York Knicks 11. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks 12. Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets 13. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics 14. Chris Paul – New Orleans/OK City Hornets 15. Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs

Top 10 Teams: 1. Los Angeles Lakers 2. Miami Heat 3. New York Knicks 4. Chicago Bulls 5. Cleveland Cavaliers 6. Boston Celtics 7. Denver Nuggets 8. Philadelphia 76ers 9. New Jersey Nets 10. San Antonio Spurs