Simmons profile on the rise
IF you thought Ben Simmons couldn’t get any bigger, think again.
On the back of his historic rookie season, Simmons’ No.25 jersey has surged into the NBA’s top 10 sellers.
The NBA announced yesterday the Australian’s Philadelphia 76ers jersey was eighth on the sales list.
The most popular jersey belongs to Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, ahead of Cleveland’s LeBron James and the Warriors’ Kevin Durant.
The results were based on NBAStore.com sales from October 2017 through to December 2017.
It’s a significant achievement for Simmons when you consider he is outselling superstars like Houston Rockets MVP favourite James Harden, Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving and Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
The 21-year-old is also the only rookie in the top 10, an amazing feat given the salaries of LeBron James, Curry and Durant. Simmons earns just over $6 million, while Curry ($34 million), James ($30 million and Durant ($26 million) are raking in the big dollars. Despite the discrepancy, the Melbourne-born guard’s popularity is no fluke.
In his 39 games thus far, Simmons has averaged 16.8 points, eight rebounds and 7.3 assists. The numbers have the rising 76er on track to become the first Australian to earn NBA All-Star status in his rookie season.