The Spiral of NBA Uniforms
An NBA franchise can be noticed for different aspects of its brand. Is it their winning culture? The legendary players that have graced the fans with their presence? Or could it be their fanbase? One thing that will always tie into the factors of a franchise’s identity is the team threads that both players and fans wear proudly with whatever team is across their chest. NBA Jerseys have different meanings for the people who wear them. For some fans it’s the player, for others, it’s the team. For many, it’s about the style.
From the early days of the league 75 years ago, NBA jerseys have been straightforward and rarely showed any flare until the 90’s when fashion and professional basketball began to blossom together. Mid-major and up-and-coming teams like the Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Vancouver Grizzlies had to find some way to make a name for themselves while living in the shadows of the legends in the league that we know today.
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The 90s became the first time local designers would collaborate with NBA franchises to make the classic uniforms that give us a sense of nostalgia. As time went on we see those jerseys in movies, music videos, magazines, and even on red carpets.
As the trend pushed forward into the 2000s, bigger teams like the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat began to show their creative genius by representing their team and cities through the threads the players would wear each night.
As we fast forward to the present, it seems as if we are headed back to the simple era of NBA Uniforms. Since the 8-year apparel partnership with Nike began in 2017, the uniforms have been more than underwhelming.
We are in an era of common fashion where simplicity is the trend—bold color, plain font, and minimalistic logos in shoes, T-shirts, and now jerseys. The recent release of the new Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors uniforms has received negative responses throughout social media.
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As fans of fashion and the game, the agreement of the uniforms made in the Nike and Jordan era have no sense of iconic remembrance that uniforms in the 90s and early 2000s once had. It has been years since we’ve seen Christmas edition uniforms, eye-popping all-star uniforms, or a clean alternate uniform that we can all get behind as fans.
With three more seasons left on their apparel deal with Nike, it might be time for Adam Silver and the rest of the NBA to look for better ways to engage with the fans when it comes to the team’s uniforms and cosmetics.