The NBA’s Top Selling Jerseys of 2012
The 2011-12 season really encompasses how jersey sales can represent the story lines of an NBA season.
First, this season only saw 66 games as opposed to the regular 82 games due to an early season lockout. Not much of a delay, but impacted the season in many ways. Once things got started, it’s no surprise to see Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Dwyane Wade dominating the league and at the top of the league’s jersey sales. Those are all NBA Hall of Famers, but in the top two spots are two players that were also on top of the world. First take a look at the list.
| Top Jerseys | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| 2 | Jeremy Lin | New York Knicks |
| 3 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 4 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 5 | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks |
| 6 | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 7 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 9 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 10 | Rajon Rando | Boston Celtics |
| 11 | Amar'e Stoudemire | New York Knicks |
| 12 | Ray Allen | Boston Celtics |
| 13 | Paul Pierce | Boston Celtics |
| 14 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic |
| 15 | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
At the #1 spot for the top selling jersey was Derrick Rose. In the prior season, we saw a 23-year old Derrick Rose capture the NBA’s MVP trophy after averaging 25 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds; leading the Chicago Bulls to an amazing 62-20 record. Rose was the youngest MVP in history and watching him play was like watching lightning on the court. He was a herky-jerky, athletic speed (as in quickness) freak that finished at the rim with ease. This season would see Rose play 39 games before succumbing to an injury — one where we would never see Rose fully recover from.
Ranking second in jersey sales was Jeremy Lin. Linsanity! Lin’s story played out in New York City, the league’s largest market. He inspired not only Asian-Americans, but NBA fans of every background gravitated to him. And that played out in NBA jersey sales for the 2012 NBA season.
To see all the best selling jerseys since 2001, go to this page. You can also view last year’s leader or move on to 2013’s most-popular NBA jerseys.
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