NBA players are some of the most popular athletes in the United States and in the world. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, so it comes as no surprise that a lot of players become extremely revered among fan bases across the country. But which NBA player has the highest selling jerseys in the United States?
NBA insider Nick DePaula recently revealed a graphic that shows the top-selling player jerseys in the NBA. Unsurprisingly, LeBron James has the highest-selling jersey, as he is one of the greatest players of all time, and is still playing at the highest level possible right now.
Here’s the NBA’s top selling Player & Team jerseys by state at @Lids this season:
• @KingJames & @Lakers are #1 in 30 states
• @Bulls are best sellers in 8 states
• Retired players are top sellers in 14 states
• Mike Bibby has the best-selling player jersey in Alabama pic.twitter.com/gcsoh921RO
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) February 17, 2022
Kobe Bryant has the most-bought jersey in Alaska and North Dakota. More surprisingly, Michael Jordan’s jerseys are only leading in Illinois, where he played for most of his career, and in South Dakota.
The rest of the list includes Mike Bibby, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Nikola Jokic, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, Jayson Tatum, Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Yao Ming, and Damian Lillard. Some of the names are truly surprising to see.
Players like Mike Bibby, Yao Ming, and Steve Smith being the most popular players in certain states come as a surprise, as they have been retired for quite some time. And in the case of Mike Bibby, he never had a supremely successful tenure in the NBA, only making the NBA Finals once with the Miami Heat.
Perhaps LeBron James will continue to have the highest-selling jersey for the rest of his career. After all, James is one of the greatest players of all time and is still playing like one of the best in the world. But the absence of players like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry on this list is truly surprising, given how talented and popular they are.
