Call it the Return of the King. LeBron James has passed Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers to take over the No. 1 spot on the NBA's best-selling jersey list this season.
It's the first time in seven years James has grabbed the top spot. Bryant's No. 24 jersey has had a stranglehold on the No. 1 spot since the the beginning of the 2008-2009 season. The list of most popular jerseys is based off sales at NBAStore.com since the tipoff of the 2010-2011 season.
James damaged his reputation when he used ESPN's special, The Decision, to publicly dump his former club, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and home state fans in Ohio for the bright lights of South Beach. But in his first season with Miami Heat, sales of King James' No. 6 jersey took off.
In another surprise, Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics has cracked the Top 3 for the first time. Five Celtics stars -- Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Shaquille O'Neal -- rank in the Top 15 best-selling jerseys. That's the first time five players from the same club have made the list. Rookies John Wall of the Washington Wizards and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, meanwhile, rank Nos. 10 and 11 respectively.
The Lakers lead in team merchandise sales for the 8th time in 9 seasons. The Celtics are No. 2 for the third straight season. The Heat, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls round out the Top 5 in team sales.
Here's the Top 15 player jerseys list for the 2010/2011 season:
1) LeBron James, Miami Heat
2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
3) Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
4) Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks
5) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
6) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
7) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
8) Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
9) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
10 ) John Wall, Washington Wizards
11) Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
12) Shaquille O'Neal, Boston Celtics
13) Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
14) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
15) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
About Reid and Mike
Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.
He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.
