LaMelo Ball’s popularity has been unquestioned. A simple look at any of his social media follower amounts would tell the story. The latest example of his popularity, though, is one of his first abroad.
The day after Ball was announced as a member of the National Basketball League’s Illawarra Hawks, the league put jerseys up for sale.
They sold out.
In 24 hours.
“There are lots of numbers floating about the impact. Yet perhaps the most amazing was demonstrated in the league putting up a limited sale of Ball-branded Hawks jerseys the day after the announcement. They sold out in 24 hours. And they were last season’s leftover stock.
With 600 sold at $90 a pop, that’s a $54,000 earn for the league right there in a day. Simply by printing the word ‘Ball’ on the back of the jersey. A day. The NBL’s motto is #SeeIncredible. Now that’s incredible. A league official this week confirmed never has any NBL jersey sold at that rate before. He confirmed Sydney King star Andrew Bogut would be next best, but was not in the same ball park. Pun intended.”
It’s about as impressive a feat as one could imagine. While 600 jerseys is a small figure relative to the NBA, clearly to the NBL, it’s an unprecedented figure. It’s also probably a sign of what is to come in terms of merchandise sales and popularity with Ball.
