It’s more than just long-distance threes or doing car pool karaoke. It’s that Stephen Curry looks like an overachieving everyman, as opposed to a 6'9" man-child blessed by the gods with physical gifts none of us relate to. (Which is far from entirely true, but the narrative sells.)
Curry is the most popular player in the NBA, and for the second straight year that showed up again in the NBA’s annual report on jersey sales, as tallied by the NBA.com store. LeBron James was second. Here’s the list:
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys:
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
4. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
7. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
8. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
10. James Harden, Houston Rockets
11. Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls
12. Derrick Rose, New York Knicks
13. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
14. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
15. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
As for the most popular teams, Curry and LeBron are on the top of the list again. It also shouldn’t be a shock that the Lakers, Knicks, and Bulls are in the mix despite their play — those are the NBA’s biggest brands. Here’s the list.
Top 10 Most Popular Team Merchandise:
1. Golden State Warriors
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. New York Knicks
6. San Antonio Spurs
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Boston Celtics
9. Philadelphia 76ers
10. Toronto Raptors
