The King is back on top. The Miami Heat's LeBron James has reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the National Basketball Association's best-selling jersey list. The reigning NBA finals' MVP is back in the position he last held in April 2011.
This is the third time James has finished in the top spot on the most popular jersey list, which is released twice a year.
The current list is based on sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and on NBAStore.com from April 2012 through Nov. 26, 2012.
James, who was previously ranked fourth on the best-selling list, takes the top spot from injured Chicago Bull Derrick Rose, who falls to number five. The Oklahoma Thunder's Kevin Durant, coming off his first NBA finals debut in June, jumps from the eighth spot to No. 2. Rounding out the top five is Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, who has had the top-selling jersey six times and the New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony.
Making his first appearance on the list is the Thunder's Russell Westbrook, who debuts at number twelve. Players trending upward include the Celtics' Rajon Rondo and the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, who each move up four spots from last year to Nos. 6 and 10, respectively.
In team merchandise, The New York Knicks claimed the top spot for the first time since December 2004. Falling from first to fourth is the Chicago Bulls. The 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat came in at No. 2, with the Lakers at No. 3 and the Boston Celtics at No. 5.
The Lakers are the only team with three players on the list with Bryant (No. 3) and his two new teammates Dwight Howard (No. 9) and Steve Nash (No. 13).
The Brooklyn Nets, whose jerseys were first made available at the end of September, finished seventh. The only Nets player to make the list was Deron Williams, who finished at eleven.
Overall, the NBA is off to a good start in merchandise sales this season, with the NBAStore.com having its largest Cyber Monday in history on Nov. 26 with sales up double-digits over 2011.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys
Top Ten Most Popular Team Merchandise
-By Tom Rotunno, CNBC Senior Editor; Follow him @tomrotunno.
Questions? Comments? Email us at consumernation@cnbc.com.
