Carmelo Anthony has finally done something Patrick Ewing and Bernard King never did.
No, not lead the Knicks to an NBA championship, although he will get a chance this year. Anthony topped the list of the NBA’s best-selling jerseys, the league announced Tuesday, becoming the first Knick to do so.
Granted, the NBA has only been keeping track of such sales since 2001, but it is safe to say Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all would have outsold Ewing and King in their days.
LeBron James, who has led the rankings four times, fell to No. 2, with Kevin Durant falling a spot as well to No. 3. Kobe Bryant mans Anthony’s former No. 4 spot, and even though he has not played at all this season, Bulls guard Derrick Rose rounded out the top five.
Not surprisingly, the Knicks, Heat and Lakers merchandise leads all teams in sales, while the new Brooklyn Nets moved into the top four for the first time.
The tradition-bound and veteran-heavy Celtics apparently have not lost all their coolness. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are both among the top 15 best-selling jerseys, making the Celtics one of six teams with two players in the top 15. Kyrie Irving debuted on the list this year at No. 11.
Top 15 most popular NBA jerseys
1. Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
2. LeBron James, Heat
3. Kevin Durant, Thunder
4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
5. Derrick Rose, Bulls
6. Deron Williams, Nets
7. Dwyane Wade, Heat
8. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
9. Chris Paul, Clippers
10. Blake Griffin, Clippers
11. Kyrie Irving, Cavs
12. Dwight Howard, Lakers
13. Russell Westbrook, Thunder
14. Amar’e Stoudemire, Knicks
15. Paul Pierce, Celtics
Top 10 most popular team merchandise
1. New York Knicks
2. Miami Heat
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Brooklyn Nets
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Boston Celtics
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. San Antonio Spurs
10. Philadelphia 76ers
