Dwyane Wade’s top is tops in Europe
Heat guard Dwyane Wade is popular in Europe, too.
He has the best-selling jersey based on sales at stores across Europe during the 2006-07 season, according to the NBA. The top 10 includes four European players – Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs; Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns; Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies; and Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors.
The NBA continues to expand its presence in Europe, holding training camps and competitions there again this year. The Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Raptors will hold training camp and play games against each other and international teams during 2007 NBA Europe Live -- a six city, 11-day trip that includes stops in London, Rome, Madrid and Istanbul.
The NBA says sales of merchandise in Europe were up 40 percent from last season. And international visitors accounted for 10 percent of the more than 1 million visitors to the NBA Store in Manhattan last season.
The top 10 best-selling NBA jerseys in Europe are:
1. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
2. Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
3. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
4. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Boris Diaw, Phoenix Suns
7. Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
8. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
9. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
10. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
