McGrady, Iverson top Yao in Chinese jersey sales
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-04 16:33

The biggest selling National Basketball Association jersey in China is no longer the big Chinese hero Yao Ming, who has been bumped from the top spot by teammate Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson.

The biggest selling National Basketball Association jersey in China is no longer the big Chinese hero Yao Ming, who has been bumped from the top spot by teammate Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, seen in this picture taken on January 6, 2006. [AFP]

National Basketball Association jersey sales figures from 20,000 retail locations as of last November were released Tuesday and showed Yao, the Houston Rockets center who is just back on the court after an injury, rated only third.

McGrady, Yao's backcourt playmaker partner in Houston, and Philadelphia's Iverson, the spunky guard who challenges the NBA's goliaths with speed and fearless drives to the hoop, grabbed the two top sales spots.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was fourth followed by Cleveland's LeBron James, Denver's Carmelo Anthony, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, Miami big man Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash of Phoenix and Miami guard Dwayne Wade.

NBA teams began China visits with Washington in 1979 playing two exhibitions against China's national team. NBA games are shown on 24 stations in China and seen by an estimated 30 million viewers each week.

NBA programming is seen in 215 nations in 43 languages. There are 82 players from outside the United States on NBA rosters, including Yao, Canada's Nash, French guard Tony Parker of San Antonio and his Argentine teammate on the Spurs, Manu Ginobili.