Knicks' Carmelo Anthony passes Heat's LeBron James for NBA's most popular jersey

Author:
Ben Golliver
Publish date:
Apr 10, 2013

Carmelo Anthony, right, has passed LeBron James on the NBA's jersey sales list. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony finds himself atop two impressive lists this week.

Days after passing Thunder forward Kevin Durant to take the NBA's scoring lead by a fraction of a point, the league announced Tuesday that Anthony has jumped into the top spot on its jersey sales list.

In November, Anthony ranked fourth, trailing Heat forward LeBron James, Durant and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The new top five, in order: Anthony, James, Durant, Bryant and Bulls guard Derrick Rose.

Anthony's rise makes it a clean sweep for the Big Apple, as the Knicks maintained their No. 1 position on the NBA's most popular team merchandise list. The Heat, Lakers, Nets and Bulls rounded out the top five.

Two new names entered the top-15 most popular jerseys list: Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, who debuted at No. 11, and Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who ranked No. 14 after not placing in the most recent list.

Things couldn't be going much better for New York these days. The Knicks are riding a 13-game winning streak and look poised to capture the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Anthony, 28, has been the straw that stirs the drink, averaging 28.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 44.8 percent this season.

You can view photos of the top 15 players based on jersey sales in this SI.com gallery. Keep reading for the full lists of the most popular players and teams when it comes to jerseys and merchandise sales, respectively.

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, Cavaliers