The latest update from the Association finds the Warriors icon leading the way, but there’s a boatload of star power nipping at his heels.
Believe it or not, we’re more than halfway through the 2022-23 NBA season, and with that comes fun stuff like All-Star voting, the NBA Trade Deadline, and data for top-selling jerseys and merchandise.
The NBA announced Friday that Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry owns the league’s most popular jersey for the first half of the 2022-23 season, while the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Team Merchandise. At this time last year, Curry was second among individual players, and LeBron James was first.
Since then, the former Davidson kid won another NBA title. In terms of moving units at the team store, that certainly didn’t hurt.
Elsewhere on the list, there’s solid proof that the younger generation of ascendant superstars is doing a fine job of preparing to take the torch from Curry, LeBron, and Kevin Durant. Most of the guys on this latest NBA merch list are on their way to becoming the new faces of the league in due time, especially Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum, and Ja Morant. Furthermore, as we talk about the globalization of basketball, more and more international-born players are ascending into bonafide superstars. After all, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have won the last four league MVP awards, and the league continues efforts to branch out ambitiously in places like Africa.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at this latest NBA jersey sales update.
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NBA Jersey Sales Rankings: First Half of 2022-23 Season
- Stephen Curry, Warriors
- LeBron James, Lakers
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Luka Dončić, Mavericks
- Kevin Durant, Nets
- Ja Morant, Grizzlies
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics
- Devin Booker, Suns
- Joel Embiid, 76ers
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
Additional NBA Jersey Sales Notes
- Curry regained the top spot on the jersey ranking list for the first time since the 2017-18 NBA season.
- Ja Morant (No. 6) earned his highest ranking yet on the most popular jersey list.
- Three out of the top-10 players were born outside of the U.S.
- Only three players in the top-10 are 30+ years old.
- Devin Booker jumped from No. 13 to No. 8 from last year.
The Team Merchandise Top 10
The “smallest” market on the list belongs to the Milwaukee Bucks, but you can’t exactly argue that the franchise itself is small in any form or fashion. Otherwise, you’re looking at nothing but top-10 markets in the country (with Phoenix perhaps being juuust barely outside depending on who you ask).
These announcements aren’t necessarily the things that people fret the most over (outside Twitter, Reddit, and Discord, of course). But when it comes to business, it’s crucial to note these sorts of consumer trends in sports when it pertains to how a league is gearing up for a future that requires young stars, successful big-market teams, new revenue streams, and explosive media rights deals.
So, get used to the Ja Morant–Luka Dončić era sooner rather than later, because they’re here to stay. And to make matters even more exciting for the league, Victor Wembanyama is just waiting in the wings to blast into a new stratosphere when he joins the Association in fewer than six months.
Expect the first jersey sales update following his big-time debut to reflect the Wemby hoopla in full force.
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