Derrick Rose has the best selling jersey in the NBA.
Less than one year after becoming the youngest player to win the NBA's MVP award, Chicago's favorite son has yet another feather added to his cap. And from an organizational perspective, the Bulls have to be happy, as they lead the team jersey list as well.
(Both lists after the jump)
First, the individuals.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys:
1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
2. Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
4. LeBron James, Miami Heat
5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
6. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
7. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
8. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
9. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
10. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
Rose even bested Linsanity, who came in at No. 2. Though, to Lin's credit, he played way less of the season and did lead jersey sales down the stretch. But with the whole year factored in, he was no match for Rose. The rest of the list (No. 3 through No. 9) features the usual suspects and newcomer Blake Griffin. The only arguable surprise on the list would be Rajon Rondo in the No. 10 spot. Though, if you've seen Rondo play even just once, you're definitely not surprised at all.
And as I said above, the Bulls also won the team jersey championship.
Top 10 Most Popular Teams
1. Chicago Bulls
2. New York Knicks
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Miami Heat
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Boston Celtics
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Denver Nuggets
10. Orlando Magic
Can't stop, won't stop. Are we surprised to see Denver? I say... yes.
Possibly even more telling was the list included of the previous players to win the coveted No. 1 jersey sold accolade.
2012 – Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
2011 – LeBron James, Miami Heat
2010 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2009 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2008 – Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
2007 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2006 – Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
2005 – Shaquille O’Neal, Miami Heat
2004 – LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
2003 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2002 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2001 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Outside of Rose and LeBron James, every player on this list has won an NBA championship. And every player but Dwyane Wade has won a league MVP. If you're an optimist or just looking for a good sign, then you have to love those common threads.
Pun intended.
Bobby Loesch is a weekly contributor to SBN Chicago. He can be reached at bobbyloesch [at] gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobbystompy.