[khower]

By Keith Hower

After securing the number one slot on the domestic jersey sales list, Bryant has expanded his dominance to the world’s most populous country—China. After Kobe, the list runs: Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony and Gilbert Arenas. Players who fell off the list from last year’s ranking are Phoenix Suns point guard, Steve Nash, and Miami Heat super-center, Shaquille O’Neal.

NBA sales are booming in China, with more than 400 million products sold in the last year at more than 20,000 retail locations. In fact, with a projected sales increase of fifty percent over the next year, the NBA will open ten stores in the country with the help of Adidas and various other marketing partners.

300 million people actively participate in the sport, 83 percent of people ages 15-24 say they’re NBA fans, and a whopping 20 percent of clicks on NBA.com originate from China.

2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China

1. Kobe Bryant

2. Allen Iverson

3. Tracy McGrady

4. Dwyane Wade

5. LeBron James

6. Yao Ming

7. Kevin Garnett

8. Tim Duncan

9. Carmelo Anthony

10. Gilbert Arenas

2005-06 Top Selling Jerseys in China

1. Tracy McGrady

2. Allen Iverson

3. Yao Ming

4. Kobe Bryant

5. LeBron James

6. Carmelo Anthony

7. Kevin Garnett

8. Shaquille O’Neal

9. Steve Nash

10. Dwyane Wade