I was watching an NBA game and the broadcasters put up a shot listing the top ten NBA jerseys sold in Europe.  I was shocked to see some of the names on the list (Iverson, Diaw), and more importantly, the names that weren’t on the list. Check out the list below:

1. Dwyane Wade
2. Allen Iverson
3. Tony Parker
4. Kobe Bryant
5. LeBron James
6. Boris Diaw
7. Pau Gasol
8. Andrea Bargnani
9. Carmelo Anthony
10. Tracy McGrady

Only four Europeans on the list?  Andrea Bargnani and Boris Diaw are two of the four?  Really?  And I didn’t know that there was such an affinity for Dwyane Wade in Europe.

Certainly basketball popularity in each country has an affect on the list – you’re not going to find Swiss player Thabo Sefolosha‘s jersey on the list any time soon because Switzerland isn’t exactly a hoops hotbed.  I am sure that European countries are like most countries – nationalistic.  Therefore Spaniards purchase Gasol and Calderon jerseys, while Turks love Hedo, and American NBA players like Iverson and Kobe Bryant whom aren’t affiliated with Panathinaikos, Maccabi, or the ACB, benefit from the overall popularity of the NBA in Europe.

Still… no Dirk Nowitzki jerseys?  What of Manu Ginobili, whom spent many successful years in Europe?