NBA teams couldn’t officially sign free agents until midnight Friday morning. Even then, we read the reports of star players signing with squads long before free agency itself officially started.
That included three-time NBA champion LeBron James, who decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this week. It was a stunning move for the planet’s best player, one that brings him to the most historical franchise in Association history.
Shortly after deals could be finalized, the NBA Store in New York City was already out here selling James’ No. 23 Lakers jerseys.
LeBron Lakers jerseys hitting the racks at the @NBASTORE in Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/Rtq7Cb1MoI
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 6, 2018
Well, that didn’t take too long. Talk about exhausting every possibility to earn a little bit of cash.
As the most popular player on the planet and now playing in the nation’s second-largest media market, James’ jerseys are going to sell like hot cakes.
He’s iconic. The Lakers are iconic. Add those two things together, and it’s the perfect storm for merchandise sales. Don’t think this is lost on the NBA.
It will certainly be interesting to see where James ranks among the top-selling jerseys ahead of the 2018-19 season. After all, he still has to compete against the likes of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry in California.