Unlikely postseason hero Matthew Dellavedova is now a household name in the city of Cleveland, and people evidently want his name on their backs.
According to Fanatics, the U.S.’s largest licensed online sports retailer, Delly shirts were flying off the virtual shelves Wednesday faster than the ones emblazoned with LeBron James’ name—or anyone else’s, for that matter.
(In Maryborough, the Aussie’s hometown is even renaming an arena after the backup guard.)
King James is obviously thrilled with his teammate‘s unexpected success and rise to glory, and he’ll need the fireplug to stay on top of his game to finish off the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Per ESPN:
In fact, boosted by sales on Wednesday, more Dellavedova jerseys have now been sold in the Finals than had been sold during the entire regular season, said Fanatics president of merchandising Jack Boyle.
“We don’t see players rise to top from out of nowhere like this often,” Boyle said. “The last time we saw something like this was when (New York Giants wide receiver) Odell Beckham Jr. made that catch. Like Dellavedova, he shot right to the top.”
Jerseys and T-shirts weren’t the only thing being bought on Wednesday. Fathead, which is owned by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, started selling Dellavedova wall posters. […] Said Fathead spokesman Brian Stevenson: “Delly fans demanded it and Fathead delivered.”
