MINNEAPOLIS – The WNBA announced Thursday that Lynx forward Maya Moore tops the list of the most popular player jerseys sold on WNBAStore.com from October 2011 through August 2012. Moore has held the No. 1 spot since June 2011.
The WNBA releases these player jersey rankings each summer, and Moore held the top individual spot last year, as well. The league also ranks team merchandise sales, and the Lynx were named the most popular in that category for the second consecutive year.
In addition to Moore, the Lynx's Lindsay Whalen also cracked the list, coming in at No. 10. She had never been on the list as a member of the Lynx, and having two Lynx players among the top 10 and the highest overall merchandise sales marks a victory for a smaller-market team that had never been considered among the league's elite before last season.
Before the Lynx's 2011 title run, they did not even warrant a mention in the 2010 rankings, which larger-market teams and players dominated. Candace Parker topped the individual player list from Oct. 2008 until Moore took over, and her Los Angeles Sparks were ranked first in team merchandise in 2010. In addition, four members of the New York Liberty made the top 10 in player jersey sales that year, and their team was fifth in merchandise sales.
Seven of the players in the individual top 10 in 2012 competed on the U.S. women's basketball team in London: Moore, Parker (ranked No. 2), Diana Taurasi (No. 3), Sue Bird (No. 5), Tamika Catchings (No. 8), Angel McCoughtry (No. 9) and Whalen. Lauren Jackson (No. 7) played for Australia in London, and Becky Hammon (No. 4) played for Russia. Only Cappie Pondexter (No. 6) did not compete at the Games.
The WNBA does not release the actual sales figures for jersey and merchandise sales.
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