The Heat are having themself a year. On the court, and in the jersey sales department. Here’s the Miami Herald:
The Heat ranks fourth in team merchandise sales at NBAStore.com since the league restarted the season (from July 30 through Monday), the NBA announced Wednesday.
It marks the first time the Heat has been in the top five in team merchandise sales since the final season of the Big 3 era in 2014, when the roster included Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
The Heat also has a player ranked in the league’s top 10 on the jersey sales list. All-Star forward Jimmy Butler ranks 10th, which was also determined based on NBAStore.com sales from July 30 through Monday.
And the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
The only teams with greater sales over that period were, in order, the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. The Heat and Lakers are playing for the NBA title in the league’s quarantine setting at Disney World, with the NBA Finals opening Wednesday.
Rounding out the Top 10 in team-merchandise sales, in order, were the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.
Butler has a tall task ahead, especially if he winds up being the guy to guard Lakers superstar LeBron James in these Finals.
We’ll know in a few hours. Heat vs. Lakers NBA Finals Game 1 is tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC TV.
