Jayson Tatum shares his thoughts on new head coach Ime Udoka, Al Horford returning to Boston and Kemba Walker getting traded to OKC
If All-NBA selections were based on jersey sales, Jayson Tatum would be on the First Team.
The NBA on Wednesday shared its list of the most popular jerseys based on NBAStore.com sales from the second half of the 2020-21 season, and the Boston Celtics star's No. 0 trailed only four superstars.
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Only Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic sold more jerseys in the second half than Tatum, who earned his second All-Star nod this season and has secured his place as one of the NBA's best players.
Unlike Antetokounmpo (First Team), Doncic (First Team), James (Second Team) and several other players in the Top 10, Tatum failed to earn All-NBA honors this season, missing out on nearly $33 million in the process.
Related: How Tatum wants All-NBA voting process to change after snub
But the fact that more fans bought Tatum's jersey than those of Stephen Curry, James Harden and former Celtics teammate Kyrie Irving is a testament to the 23-year-old's rapidly-growing star power.
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Tatum is coming off a career season in which he averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and topped 40 points in a game four times. The Celtics sputtered to a 36-36 record, making Tatum's popularity all the more impressive on team that was bounced in the first round of the playoffs.
Tatum's visibility should only increase this summer as he competes with Team USA in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, so perhaps he can crack the top five next season.
