Each year the NBA displays new city jerseys that combine intricate details with the long history of each franchise. The jerseys can be actively seen on most players on Christmas Day. This year there is an added touch due to it being the NBA’s 75th anniversary.
With the NBA hitting this milestone, there was more extensive planning done with this debut. Nike’s design and marketing teams have been working tirelessly since 2017 to make sure this debut met the expectations of the league and fans.
On Christmas Day and into the new year, any team can be seen sporting their new city look. The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz have decided to keep last year’s look. Fans that are particularly interested in the style and look of their favorite NBA stars can get a glance of what to expect before tipoff by going to Locker Vision’s website.
When the league hit 50 years, there were similar additions made to the jerseys. During the 1996-1997 season, the cities featured a golden logo. This year is considered the league’s diamond year and features a textured logo with a “75” emblem.
In collaboration with Nike, each team has four uniform looks including city, statement, association, and icon. This year, the Celtics, Knicks and Warriors will get the chance to show fans a fifth look that will be entitled the classic look.
According to ESPN’s The Undefeated, Jesse Alvarez, product director of global sports apparel-men’s basketball at Nike says that this year’s jerseys are geared towards the next generation of sports fans and through the stories displayed on the jerseys, a bridge will be created.
At noon on Christmas Day, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks will be seen in bright yellow jerseys with a larger-than-life red hawk featured on the front against the Knicks. This is a new twist on a repeat design for the franchise, but it is sure to still have veteran fans excited.
On the opposite end of the court, the Knicks decided to go for a classy sleek look with a mostly black design with a checkered pattern outlining the sides of the jersey and shorts to match.
Closing out the Christmas Day games will be the Lakers and the Nets. Fans will be able to see how the Nets decided to join the classic side this year along with the Knicks with their simple navy approach with different splashes of red.
Lakers fans will get first dibs at their team’s new look due to the team deciding to wear their city editions on November 12 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers will be seen in a royal purple ensemble with hints of sky blue mirroring one of the earlier franchise jerseys from the 1960s.
The Miami Heat city jerseys seem to be creating the most buzz because of its scrapbook Miami logo. Each letter spelling out Miami is in a font of a previous jersey. These fonts range from what fans are used to seeing with their burgundy lettering to some of their more defining moments of blue and pink hues from their South Beach features.
“I wear jerseys for fashion, not so much to support the teams,” Kyrah Henderson, a multimedia journalism senior said. “But, I do usually pay attention to the city jerseys every year because they can always add something new to my closet.”
All Nike NBA City Edition uniforms can be purchased beginning on November 15, 2021 at NBAstore.com, Nike.com, and other global sporting sites.
