Washington Wizards players have a long history of not being amongst the most popular players in the league. It appears that may be changing after the team’s best season in 38 years after John Wall came up on the NBA’s 15 most popular jerseys list.
There are 2 NBA popularity lists that always blow my mind. All-Star fan voting, and top jersey sales. The All-Star list always includes mind-boggling players like Derrick Rose and Zaza Pachulia.
Meanwhile, the NBA also releases a list of the most popular (highest selling) jerseys in the league. For the first time in his career, John Wall has made the top 15 list., coming in 12th.
Steph Curry secures the top spot on the NBA’s Most Popular Jersey list, based on overall sales on @NBAStore from April through June. pic.twitter.com/jrXFlbHaEP
— NBA (@NBA) June 29, 2017
The list, recording sales from April through June, includes a lot of Wall’s direct competition. Isaiah Thomas, who had a magical season and first two rounds of the playoffs, came in 7th.
Kyrie Irving came in 5th, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s not the best point guard in the East.
With the Wizards showing their improved play in April and May, Wall’s jersey rocketed up the sale sheets. You’ll notice that every player on the list played in the playoffs.
Wall had a 42 point game in Game 6 in Atlanta, and a game-winning three-pointer in Game 6 against Boston.
Oh and he highlights like below, just ignore the score.
It will be interesting to see how the jersey sales continue as the new season approaches and starts. Stars who switch teams, like Chris Paul and potentially Paul George, Gordon Hayward, and Blake Griffin, can expect to rise into the top 15, and some players staying on their current team will likely fall out.
Secondly, the NBA will officially be switching from Adidas to Nike. Wizards fans were demanding the playoff home white Stars & Stripes jerseys, but the team ran out of stock, knowing the change to Nike was coming. It’s safe to assume Nike will continue with that design, meaning Wall’s jersey sales could stay relatively even (or increase) going into next season.
Lastly, the NBA will be rolling out jersey ads next season. Jerseys with and without the ad patches will be available for purchase. I wonder if a team with poor ad choices will see a decrease in purchases.
Next: Wiz to Make Aggressive Offer to Otto Porter Early
Until next time, congrats to the Wallstar!