Once LeBron James announced that he was going to the Los Angeles Lakers, people could immediately start to preorder jersey's online, but when they are allowed to be shipped is still on hold.
NBA stores or retailers online aren't allowed to ship or sell in person jerseys until a player has officially signed his contract. One NBA store in Manhatten mistakenly put the jerseys on the shelf for about an hour on Friday according to Darren Rovell of ESPN, before the contract was finalized.
“Due to tremendous fan interest, the LeBron James Lakers jerseys were prepared to be put on sale at the NBA Store upon an announcement by the team,” an NBA spokesperson said, in a statement. “Mistakenly, they were placed on shelves prematurely.”
Players weren't allowed to sign their free agent contracts until noon on Friday, and James still hasn't officially signed his contract, so stores must wait to sell and ship gear to the eager fans.
The jerseys that were sold on Friday won't actually be the threads that the Lakers will wear this year. The Lakers are getting a new uniform this season, and fans are now also able to preorder those, they just won't be shipped until the new jerseys are released in late July.
It's expected that James is going to sign his contract soon, and then these jerseys will be able to be sold, but until then there are a few lucky fans in Manhatten who had Christmas come a little early and get to wear it before anyone else.
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