Simmons drops to 11th in NBA jersey sales

Saturday, 18 January 2020:

BEN SIMMONS in Phoenix, Arizona.
BEN SIMMONS in Phoenix, Arizona.


Ben Simmons' popularity continues to slip with his jersey sales dropping outside the NBA's top 10.

The NBA has released merchandise sales for the first three months of the season and Los Angeles Lakers' superstar LeBron James was the king of jersey sales.

Philadelphia 76ers point-forward Simmons, who finished last season in ninth, was 11th.

This is despite the Australian leading the league in steals and ranked fifth in assists.

In 2018 Simmons was top five in jersey sales.

The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo was number two in the latest jersey results followed by Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) in third.

Simmons' rival for the 2018 Rookie of the Year Award, Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), was fourth with James Harden (Houston Rockets) fifth and the NBA's new young gun Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) sixth.

NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers) was next, followed by Anthony Davis (Lakers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Melbourne-born Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets) and then Simmons in 11th.

Simmons still beat some of the NBA's superstars, with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker and rookie Zion Williamson all trailing the Australian.

On the team merchandise list, the Lakers hold the top spot followed by the Celtics, 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Bucks.

The results are based on NBAStore.com sales from October 2019 through December 2019.

Simmons is also suffering from a lack of fan support in his push to be an All-Star this season.

The NBA released the latest All-Star fan vote on Thursday and Simmons was only eighth among Eastern Conference guards.

The Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young was first and Irving second.

Fans account for 50 per cent of the vote, with players and media members 25 per cent each.

The top two guards from the Eastern and Western Conferences will be All-Star starters.

NBA coaches will pick the reserves, which appears to be Simmons' best chance of earning his second All-Star invite.

Fan voting finishes Monday.

The All-Star game will be played in Chicago on February 16.






AAP