Jeremy Lin outsold Kobe Bryant in official jersey sales over the past year, the NBA revealed Thursday, despite the Knicks phenom only emerging to prominence in February.
Fans rushed to get the former undrafted D-Leaguer’s name on their back at an unprecedented rate when “Linsanity” took hold little more than two months ago as his breakthrough performances captured global attention.
The mass demand meant only Bulls guard Derrick Rose sold more jerseys than Lin last year. It is the first time the Chicago star, who was boosted by last season’s MVP title, has topped the annual list.
The fact that the figures were based on sales from April 2011 to the present day at the NBA Store in Manhattan, along with the NBAStore.com, will have helped boost Lin’s place given the added interest in jerseys in New York.
Yet his dominance of Lakers superstar Bryant still came as a big surprise, given Lin’s limited time in the spotlight and the dampening of the hysteria amid his dip in form and subsequent injury.
Bryant, who has topped the NBA jersey rankings six times including in three of the past five years, was demoted to third, ahead of LeBron James and Lin’s Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony.
Dwyane Wade sold the sixth most jerseys, ahead of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Rajon Rondo.