LeBron James, the legendary NBA forward, has set his first record with the Philadelphia 76ers, even without stepping onto the basketball court. The star's move has triggered unprecedented excitement among fans and surpassed global sports merchandise sales figures.
Within the first 48 hours following the announcement of the transfer, jerseys bearing the name "James" in the colors of the "Sixers" became the best-selling items among all athletes who have ever switched teams, regardless of the sport. In this metric, LeBron surpassed the previous absolute record set by Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani during his high-profile move to the "Los Angeles Dodgers".
Surpassing Previous Transfers
According to Fanatics, the largest distributor of sports merchandise, interest in the basketball player's new kit was significantly higher than during his previous transfers. Specifically, within the first 24 hours after signing the contract with Philadelphia, fans purchased more items featuring James's branding than during the entire first week following his joining of the "Los Angeles Lakers" in 2018.
"Royal" Merchandise Tops the Charts
It was also revealed that "royal" merchandise ranked eighth in the list of the most popular items across all sports according to Fanatics. This highlights not only the popularity of the player himself but also the strength of the brand he represents.
Earlier reports stated that the star of the "Golden State Warriors" remained loyal to his club and signed a new contract. However, James's move to Philadelphia became a major event that overshadowed many other news stories in the world of sports.
