Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose have the most popular jerseys in China
Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose have topped the list for best-selling NBA jerseys in China this season, according to data compiled by the league.
Bryant, 36, continues to be popular among Chinese fans, despite his season-ending shoulder injury in January and the Lakers' poor showing this year. Among Chinese fans, Bryant's jersey sells better than even that of LeBron James, the worldwide leader.
Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant are third, fourth and fifth, respectively, for jersey sales in China. James's jersey comes in at number six on the list.
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Bryant's teammate Jeremy Lin has the seventh most popular jersey in China, while Tim Duncan's Spurs jersey, Kyrie Irving's Cleveland Cavaliers jersey, and John Wall's Wizards jersey round out the top ten.
According to the Chinese Basketball Association, 300 million of China's nearly 1.4 billion citizens play basketball. The NBA is also the most-followed sports league on Chinese social media, with more than 93 million followers on the popular platforms Tencent and Sina.
James' Cavaliers jersey is the most popular overall – as it has been since 2012. Curry improves to second in the overall rankings, while Kevin Durant comes in third, Bryant places fourth and Rose is fifth.
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Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Blake Griffin appear on the overall top 10 list, but have not climbed higher than the tenth spot in Chinese sales.
- Christopher Woody
