NBA NEWS - KOBE BRYANT TOPS LIST OF MOST POPULAR JERSEYS IN CHINA

Kobe Bryant - NBA photo Kevin Garnett - NBA photo Paul Pierce - NBA photo Yao Ming - NBA photo

FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON KOBE BRYANT TOPS LIST OF MOST POPULAR JERSEYS IN CHINA. -- NBA Champions Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce in Top Five. Yao Ming drops from sixth in last seasons ratings to 10th. -- 1,000 Fans Line Up for Grand Opening of First NBA Store in Beijing

NEW YORK, NY USA

Wednesday August 13, 2008

For the second consecutive season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers had the top selling NBA jersey in China. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, members of the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, moved into the top five on this year’s list.

Garnett, who had the most popular jersey in the U.S. this season, moved up to second this year in China. The Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady ranked third for the second consecutive season. Pierce, The Finals MVP, whose jersey was not in the top 10 last season moved up to fourth. The Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson dropped from second on last year’s list to fifth to round out the top five. China’s Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, ranked 10th on the list, down from six last year.

In July, the first two NBA Stores located outside the United States opened in Beijing. The stores, located at the Xindongan Plaza in the Wanfujing, Dongcheng District and at The Place in the Chaoyang District, have exceeded sales projections by nearly 70 percent in their first two weeks. There were 1,000 people lined up outside of the NBA Store at The Place for its grand opening on July 15.

NBA merchandise is available in over 30,000 retail locations throughout Greater China, and revenue this year is expected to increase by more than 60 percent. The NBA and adidas have opened 29 branded basketball shops in China since March 2007. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations and games and programming has surpassed one billion viewers for the second consecutive season.

(NBA)