New York Knicks rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis has risen to fourth overall in NBA jersey sales.
Kristaps Porzingis has taken New York by storm during this NBA season, and he has apparently taken the world by storm as well.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell wrote this morning that Porzingis’ jersey is the 4th-best selling NBA jersey from October through December.
Kristaps Porzingis is the 4th best selling NBA jersey in the league from Oct thru December, only trails Curry, LeBron & Kobe
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 20, 2016
Fans easily recognize the names in front of the rookie out of Latvia, but the surprise comes with the fact that his name is outselling an NBA mainstay in Kevin Durant.
But a closer look at the information provided by Rovell makes it easy to see how these numbers may be twisted to say that Durant is no longer elite, or that he has been passed by Porzingis in terms of popularity.
This is simply not true. Durant has been in the NBA since 2007 when he was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. His jersey has been on the market since the night of the 2007 NBA Draft, as Porzingis’ has only been in the NBA less than a year.
Jersey sales begin to level off over time, which is true in any sport, so a player like Porzingis shooting up the sales charts past a superstar like Durant should not be too big of a surprise.
The key for Kristaps will be to stay as popular as he currently is, which may be made easier by being in a giant market like New York City.
So far he is doing a great job of staying in the spotlight. The 20-year-old rookie is averaging 14 points and eight rebounds a game so far this season, and has helped the Knicks stay in the playoff race just past the halfway point in the season.
Whether or not the Knicks make the playoffs may determine just how popular Porzingis remains this season.