James widely recognized as best player in the league.
Miami Heat star LeBron James leads the way in the NBA’s worldwide jersey sales list as he continues to help the franchise obtain success both on and off the court.
Having secured back-to-back NBA titles and consecutive regular season MVP awards, it appears that James’ popularity on a global scale has also reached its peak as he topped figures released by the association on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old also has the top-selling jersey in the United States, which will be significant for him as it is still felt that there is a sense of dislike from those outside of Miami.
Nevertheless, he was thrilled with the news and said he hopes to continue to act as a role model and inspire kids to play the game.
“To know that so many people look up to me, so many kids, that’s what means more than anything, that I continue to inspire the youth and they look at me as a role model,” James said as reported by the Associated Press.
Elsewhere, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose came in second place, despite having not played in almost 18 months after suffering a torn ACL.
However, along with his sponsorship partners, the 24-year-old has done a great job of keeping himself in the public eye and it has ultimately paid off with his ranking.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant completes the top three, while Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Blake Griffin and Rajon Rondo make up the the top 10 on the list.
The likes of Rose, Bryant and Durant will all be playing international pre-season games over the course of the next fortnight, and they will undoubtedly be met by great support on their travels.
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