Kobe Bryant's once popular number 8 Lakers jersey has plummeted down to #72 for the month of December, according to point-of-sale data tabulated by a Florida market research firm. His jersey still ranked in the top 10 for the year 2004.

"I would never have thought it would have dropped off like this," said Neil Schwartz, director of marketing and business development for SportsScanINFO in West Palm Beach, the company which tabulated the data by tracking weekly sales data from sporting goods retailers nationwide.

Bryant's marketability has likely been hurt by the flurry of bad press he's been receiving lately, analysts say. Four events most likely to have had this negative effect include his rape case, feuds with Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone, as well as the recently published diary of former coach Phil Jackson, which detailed the 2003/04 season of the Los Angeles Lakers.