Despite missing the playoffs in disappointing fashion, the LeBron James and the Lakers still managed to finish first off the court.
The NBA and NBAPA announced on Friday that James finished with the top spot on the NBA's top-selling jerseys list based on NBAStore.com sales over the second half of the season. James also had the most popular jersey over the first half of the season as reported back in January.
James remains unquestionably among the most popular players in the NBA. This is the fourth straight season that James finishes with the top-selling jersey, a streak that began with his move to the Lakers prior to the 2018-19 season.
In his 19th season, the 37-year-old averaged 30.3 points per game, his most since way back in 2005-06. This season, James became the oldest player in NBA history to average over 30 points per game and was in the hunt to win the scoring title until falling short of the threshold of minimum games. James played in 56 games for the Lakers, two shy of the 58-game minimum for official leaderboards.
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The Lakers finished the season 33-49, 11th place in the Western Conference and one game back of the San Antonio Spurs who claimed the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Most popular NBA jerseys in 2021-22
Here is a full list of the top-15 selling jerseys. New to the top-15 are James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Nikola Jokic who did not appear on the midseason report.
Harden's trade from the Nets to the 76ers likely fueled interest while Jokic's MVP push generated more fan interest. Irving made his Nets debut on January 5 after missing the first half of the season due to COVID vaccination requirements.
Falling from the midseason list are R.J. Barrett, Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis.
| Mid-Season Rank | |
| 1. LeBron James | 1st |
| 2. James Harden | NR |
| 3. Stephen Curry | 2nd |
| 4. Kevin Durant | 4th |
| 5. Jayson Tatum | 6th |
| 6. Joel Embiid | 11th |
| 7. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 3rd |
| 8. Luka Doncic | 5th |
| 9. Ja Morant | 7th |
| 10. Kyrie Irving | NR |
| 11. Trae Young | 8th |
| 12. Klay Thompson | 9th |
| 13. Devin Booker | 13th |
| 14. LaMelo Ball | 15th |
| 15. Nikola Jokic | NR |
Year-by-year most popular NBA jerseys
The 37-year-old James remains on top of the league when it comes to fan popularity.
Since joining the Lakers prior to 2018-19, James has re-established himself as the unquestioned king off the court when it comes to jersey sales. James reclaimed his jersey throne from Stephen Curry who rose to prominence during the Warriors run of five straight NBA Finals appearances.
| Season | Player | Team |
| 2021-22 | LeBron James | Lakers |
| 2020-21 | LeBron James | Lakers |
| 2019-20 | LeBron James | Lakers |
| 2018-19 | LeBron James | Lakers |
| 2017-18 | Stephen Curry | Warriors |
| 2016-17 | Stephen Curry | Warriors |
| 2015-16 | Stephen Curry | Warriors |
Most popular NBA teams in 2021-22
Missing the playoffs didn't damper fan interest in the Lakers, at least not to the point of knocking them off their perch at NBAStore.com.
For the fourth straight year, the Lakers claimed the No. 1 spot with team merchandise. The Suns and Grizzlies catapulted into the top 10 on the backs of a strong second-half pushes as they finished 1-2 in the Western Conference.
| Team | Mid-Season Rank |
| 1. Lakers | 1st |
| 2. 76ers | 8th |
| 3. Warriors | 2nd |
| 4. Bulls | 7th |
| 5. Nets | 4th |
| 6. Celtics | 5th |
| 7. Bucks | 3rd |
| 8. Suns | NR |
| 9. Knicks | 6th |
| 10. Grizzlies | NR |
