Kobe's No. 24 is No. 1 in jersey sales

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Just as Kobe Bryant took the reins Tuesday night to lead the Lakers in an overwhelming playoff Game 5 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he also is showing how much clout he has in the marketplace.

Bryant's No. 24 jersey again is the top-seller in the NBA, the league announced Wednesday. His jersey also was No. 1 in 2008-09.

Bryant

The Lakers were the top team in NBA merchandise sales, as has been the case in seven of the past eight seasons.

Second to Bryant in individual jersey sales is LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett was No. 3, up one spot from last season. Chicago Bulls second-year player Derrick Rose was No. 4, and the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard was No. 5.

Kevin Durant, whose Thunder have posed a surprising threat to the Lakers, is in the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 9. Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony moved from No. 15 to No. 10.

More on the Lakers

For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat came in at No. 6; Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets was No. 7, and Celtics star Paul Pierce was No. 8.

The Celtics were No. 2 in team merchandise sales for the second season in a row. The Cavaliers, Bulls and New York Knicks round out the top five.

Bryant changed his number from 8 to 24 at the beginning of the 2006-07 season. Bryant wore No. 8 for the first 10 years of his career.

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