KOBE BRYANT TOPS LIST OF MOST POPULAR JERSEYS IN CHINA FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON

-- NBA Champions Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce in Top Five --

-- 1,000 Fans Line Up for Grand Opening of First NBA Store in Beijing--

NEW YORK, August 12, 2008 – For the second consecutive season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers had the top selling NBA jersey in China. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, members of the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, moved into the top five on this year’s list.

Garnett, who had the most popular jersey in the U.S. this season, moved up to second this year in China. The Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady ranked third for the second consecutive season. Pierce, The Finals MVP, whose jersey was not in the top 10 last season moved up to fourth. The Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson dropped from second on last year’s list to fifth to round out the top five. China’s Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, ranked 10th on the list, down from six last year.

The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China for the 2007-08 season. adidas is the official on-court uniform and apparel provider of the NBA.
2007-08 Top Selling Jerseys in China
  1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
  2. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
  3. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
  4. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
  5. Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
  6. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
  7. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
  8. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
  9. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
  10. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China
  1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
  2. Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
  3. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
  4. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
  5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
  6. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
  7. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
  8. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
  9. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
  10. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
In July, the first two NBA Stores located outside the United States opened in Beijing. The stores, located at the Xindongan Plaza in the Wanfujing, Dongcheng District and at The Place in the Chaoyang District, have exceeded sales projections by nearly 70 percent in their first two weeks. There were 1,000 people lined up outside of the NBA Store at The Place for its grand opening on July 15.

NBA merchandise is available in over 30,000 retail locations throughout Greater China, and revenue this year is expected to increase by more than 60 percent. The NBA and adidas have opened 29 branded basketball shops in China since March 2007. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations and games and programming has surpassed one billion viewers for the second consecutive season.