No. 30 is No. 1 - again? Any limit to Warriors guard Stephen Curry's NBA popularity?
NBA fans’ love of Stephen Curry shows no sign of a dip.
For the third consecutive season, former Davidson star Curry’s No. 30 Golden State Warriors top is the most popular replica jersey in sales, as measured by the NBA Store website.
Curry is somewhat a perfect storm for popularity: point guard for the best team in the league the past few seasons, charming backstory of an under-recruited little guy from a mid-major college program, and articulate, socially-conscious public figure.
Curry topped second-place Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James in jersey popularity. Warriors teammate Kevin Durant was third.
While Curry doesn’t directly profit from those jersey sales, his talent and popularity have made him tens of millions on and off the court. Curry agreed to a new five-year contract with the Warriors in excess of $200 million in the summer of 2017. He re-upped with athletic shoe and apparel maker Under Armour in 2015 in a deal that reportedly runs through 2024 and included an equity share in the company.
Curry has expressed interest in being a minority partner in whatever group buys the Carolina Panthers. He is a devoted fan of the NFL team he grew up with in Charlotte, where his father, Dell, was an original Hornet. Stephen Curry wears the same No. 30 his father did, as does brother Seth, who played for the Dallas Mavericks the past two seasons.
The NBA’s top-15 ranking of jersey sales was a mix of established stars, such as Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (6th) and Houston’s James Harden (9th) and a blend of up-and-coming players. Two Philadelphia 76ers made the list: Center Joel Embiid was eighth and guard-forward Ben Simmons was 10th. Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball came in 12th.
The NBA also announced a top-10 for team merchandise sales. The top-5 in order: The Warriors, the Cavaliers, the 76ers, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics.
This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 1:15 PM with the headline "No. 30 is No. 1 - again? Any limit to Warriors guard Stephen Curry's NBA popularity?."