Toronto Raptors merchandise sales still among the very best in the NBA

The Toronto Raptors might not receive the same level of coverage from large segments of basketball media due to the fact they are a geographically isolated team in Canada, but that doesn’t erase the fact that Ontario has largely united behind them to form one of the most passionate and supportive fanbases in the game.

One need only look at the consistently excellent attendance numbers and the fact that it took seven digits to calculate the total number of people who attended the Raptors’ first-ever championship parade to have that idea crystallized for them. Even during trying times, Raptors fans are willing to show support.

The entire 2020-21 season never truly felt like the Raptors were in a groove. They were playing in Tampa, they fell from the No. 2 seed in the East to No. 11, and they embarked upon an offseason that could see Kyle Lowry and Masai Ujiri not return. That didn’t put a damper on the fervent nature of this fanbase.

NBAStore.com sales through the second half of the season show that the Raptors are still in the Top 10 in sales despite the fact they were in the middle of such a lackluster season with plenty of turnover. Save for the Bulls, every other team in the Top 10 made either the playoffs or the play-in game, yet Toronto was right behind those teams in terms of merch sales.

The Toronto Raptors are still a well-supported team.

Just take a look at the teams ahead of them. You have historical franchises with fandoms that span decades (Knicks, 76ers, Celtics), the two teams with more star power than anyone else (Nets, Lakers), two teams that made it to the NBA Finals (Suns, Bucks), and two franchises that picked up bandwagon fans riding the coattails of their historic dynasties (Bulls, Warriors).

Right there alongside them are the Raptors, a team that very clearly has the backing of the entire country behind them. Once again, Lowry was named the top-selling jersey in Canada, with Fred VanVleet right behind him at No. 2 and Pascal Siakam at No. 4. Kevin Durant was the only non-Raptor to crack the top four.

The Raptors have always positioned themselves to be a global brand, and their success on that front is reflected in sales. Yuta Watanabe has the best-selling jersey in Japan, and the Raptors rank sixth in merchandise sales in the United Kingdom.

It is going to take a LOT more than one bad season spent a country away in Tampa to extinguish the passion of this fanbase. If the Raptors start winning once more in 2021, they should skyrocket up that sales chary considering how they have continued to expand their brand globally.