2021-22 NBA Changes

[sharplcd]

 

[DCarp1231]

Love Washington’s 

[UnclearInitial]

I still feel disappointed that this is what was done for the NBA’s 75th anniversary instead of a true throwback program, maybe highlighting the jerseys from the each teams origins instead of just the popular ones from the 80s/90s. Especially considering that they’re clearly running out of ideas for the city editions this could easily have been next years (and the Jazz and Suns didn’t even do it so it feels even less celebratory)

 

I’m not a fan of all the mixed typefaces, even without going overboard like the Heat did.

 

Hawks- Just a reminder of all the things they didn’t do right in last years rebrand

Nets- If they ever go back to r/w/b this would be a good starting point, like the herringbone/ABA/00’s Nets side panels

Hornets- What a mess

Bulls- Looks like those cheap imitations of Bulls jerseys

Nuggets- Love the shorts, but maybe the worst typography clash

Warriors- Looks good but I wouldn’t have used black when you have so much other history than the alternates from the last half decade

Rockets- Out of all the eras of Rockets jerseys,  deciding to highlight the short lived late 90s is what I find wrong in using these as the 75th anniversary jerseys. LOL at the explanation for the Rockets logos on the shorts, although the shorts look good

Heat- a mess. The Golden security rope stripes could have been a good basis for their own City Jersey 

Bucks- mind boggling not to use red on these. Even the barely used blue is there and not the second most used color in franchise history?

Pelicans- Boring and with nothing to tie to their Hornets era (I guess the 3 stripes down the sides?) . Should have used pinstripes from the Chris Paul look

Knicks- another good look but for a storied franchise that has so much more to offer than the BFBS of the late 90s and 10s

Thunder- The perfect encapsulation of their identity- bland and boring

Magic- I actually really like the design (I’ve always thought the T-Mac jerseys got it backwards with the pinstripes  on the sides and the stars on the front). But why i the world would you use the colors of two non consequential city jerseys instead of your franchise colors

Blazers- Like the script and plaid, should have used the sash

Kings- good look, I hope they keep the Sactown kings logo

Spurs- Fiesta is trendy, I get that. But the Spurs are 50 years of black and silver and Eurostile and it’s disappointing they used the current wordmark

Wizards- I would have liked some gold/bronze details

 

The Raptors, Clippers, Lakers, Wolves, Pacers, Cavs, Pistons, Mavs, Kings, Hawks and Celtics all seem to have interpreted the spirit of this promotion better than most, to varying degrees of success. Sixers are a bit puzzling, they could have done much more with their past jerseys, that feels completely like a City Jersey in no way associated to the NBA’s 75th anniversary 

[UnclearInitial]

19 minutes ago, MkDon said:

A lot of new courts as well



 

Will they host the Nets in their black or grey on this?  Would be a great time to just have a black and white broadcast.

 

Paycom and Love’s are probably really happy they get to be the only splashes of color in their entire City uniforms identity 

[Germanshepherd]

LOVE the Houston jerseys. Always had a soft spot for the 90’s Rockets set, and those are pretty much the exact tweaks needed to make that guilty pleasure a legitimately dope uniform. 
 

New Orleans is the honorable mention. No complaints from me if that’s the base for a new primary uniform set. 
 

My least favorite is honestly Orlando. I know teams having new color schemes for the city edition is nothing out of the ordinary but orange just does not work for the Magic at all. That set wit proper Magic colors would be fantastic however. 
 

Miami’s off-colored numbers though are the dishonorable mention. Can’t imagine those will be easy to read live. 

[Indigo]

The only ones I hate are Miami's ransom note jerseys (although I do like the single gold trim) and OKC's grayscale(which represents their brand history really well).

 

Only tweaks I would make are....

• Orlando has to be in blue. Period. Cramming orange down our throats has gotten a bit ridiculous,  given that you have a unique color scheme.
• Bucks wordmark and numbers need red trim. Otherwise they're perfect.
• New York's side panels need to be blue. A true inverse of the 90's jerseys would work great here.
• Memphis & the Lakers have the same problem--their signature color(baby blue and gold, respectively) are missing, and ironically, their on each other's jerseys. 

 

 

[SSmith48]

I think the spirit of the Mash-up style is admirable, but holy cow some of these force way too much into a uniform. Fonts, colors, designs, it is all over the place, and only a few (Clippers, Nets, Kings, Pelicans, Wizards, Grizzlies off the top of my head) effectively use the idea. The rest try to shoehorn way too many details into a uniform for the sake of it. It's not quite as bad as previous years of city editions, but a lot of these are just trying way too hard.

 

IMO, Clippers, Kings, and Grizzlies are the best by a country mile.

 

Also, that Nuggets set really shows you unorthodox their uniform history has been. Diamonds, rainbows, and everything in between.

[sharplcd]

[Lights Out]

The Bucks' uniform is downright schizophrenic. They didn't even attempt to make any of those design elements flow with each other.

 

The Magic's uniform would be a good base for a rebrand with blue instead of orange.

 

It's disappointing that the Jazz and Suns decided to sit this one out.

[rel31]

The Ps lookin' sharp.

 

[Lights Out]

1 hour ago, sharplcd said:

VAZOU these are gorgeous! Thank you San Antonio! We deserved these after years and years of camo 

 

 

 

The side panels not continuing onto the shorts ruins it, sadly.

[Shadojoker]

Wow so much to unpack and comment on. Some many incredible uniforms. 

 

Orlando would have hit a HOME RUN if they only did theirs in blue.  Come on!!

 

Spurs, Minnesota, is absolutely gorgeous.

 

NOLA and OKC are so uninspiring.

Knicks needed Blue on the side.

 

Hornets look so much better along with their shorts. 

 

Ok I'm not gonna critique all of them. So I'll come back to edit this post.

[WSU151]

The Timberwolves set is kind of ruined by the two-tone jersey (I assume the shorts are two-toned as well).

 

It'd look great if the whole thing was royal blue...but the front is royal, and the back is navy.  

 

https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/remix#threads

 

And then in their materials they say the old and current logo on the shorts (current logo looks great in old colors) is a sign of how far they've come...but...really, the new colors are so inferior. 

[UnclearInitial]

The Heat numbers (fans can customize their own version) 

 

 

[gosioux76]

3 minutes ago, WSU151 said:

The Timberwolves set is kind of ruined by the two-tone jersey (I assume the shorts are two-toned as well).

 

It'd look great if the whole thing was royal blue...but the front is royal, and the back is navy.  

 

https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/remix#threads

 

And then in their materials they say the old and current logo on the shorts (current logo looks great in old colors) is a sign of how far they've come...but...really, the new colors are so inferior. 

 

I don't mind the two-tone so much since it's applied as a back-to-front gradient. I think it works. And in general, as a Wolves fan, I don't mind this set. I still have a soft spot for the inaugural logo, so I like seeing it used here. 

 

But I agree with what someone said earlier: I'd have much rather seen a true throwback series for the 75th anniversary than a series of retro-inspired Frankenjerseys. It's like they took a band's greatest hits album and smashed it into one song. 

 

There are way too many cases where a uniform's defining characteristic is also what made it bad. And a lot of those details are showing up in these City jerseys. 

 

 

[dont care]

8 minutes ago, UnclearInitial said:

The Heat numbers (fans can customize their own version) 

 

 

I don’t speak Spanish but does it say in there why some like jimmy butler have two different style 2’s but Omar yurts even has the same style 7’s. Are the players selecting what numbers they want? I really don’t know what Miami was thinking with these random note uniforms.

[kolob]

51 minutes ago, Lights Out said:

It's disappointing that the Jazz and Suns decided to sit this one out.

 

I am too. I would have been more than okay if they regulated their City for their Statement Jerseys this year. If anything I think both are better.

[IceCap]

NBA City Edition Mixtape....whateverthehellNike...uniform opinions...

 

First...there aren't enough ideas for two to three new jerseys per year per team, and now we're just recycling past elements of other jerseys. Nike...you need to stop. The old system of a home, road, and alternate kept the ideas from being burnt through too fast.

 

Secondly, a problem I have with these things is that they mix too many disparate logos together. I get that's the point but a lot of these just have unis have logos that were never meant to share the same space and the contrast is bugging me. I wanted to get that out of the way, lest I repeat myself too much. This pretty much applies to all of them.

 

Anyway onto the new product! Consume product! Invest in lifestyle ecosystem!

 

Pelicans- Snore, but what chance does a concept like this have when the team gave up their real history to pretend to be an expansion team with one of the most boring looks in sports?

 

Pacers- I like these a lot. The Pacers always look best when they're looking a bit bold. I get it's Indiana, but the Pacers have never struck me as an Olde Tyme Basketed Ball team.

 

Hawks- Ugh. The giant hawk across the front was bad the first time, and it's bad now. The Hawks finally look good for the first time in a long time with their primary look, and I'm afraid this will trigger fauxstalgia for the 90s look everyone justifiably hated at the time.

 

Cavaliers- Why did they chose the oldest, most detailed logo they had for the one to blow up on the chest?

 

Grizzlies- The Grizzlies have such a nondiscript identity that I can't tell you what separates this from their primary look.

 

Rockets- The 90s unis suck, but at least they got rid of the most egregious part so...C+? Good job?

 

Pistons- It looks like a standard red Pistons alternate, but it has some teal stripes? Ok.

 

Trail Blazers- Ugh the start of THIS trend. Where Nike says "we're going to mix and match elements from classic uniforms" and then draws on unis they themselves created a few years ago. The diagonal chest stripe is iconic and the Blazers' distinguishing characteristic. Why avoid it? Also "Rip City" is still dumb.

 

Bulls- I actually like this. The elements all seem to be integrated nicely and the 90s MJ pinstripes in the shorts diamonds is a nice touch.

 

76ers- I actually really like this. They thought outside the box and pulled off something cool.

 

Bucks- Ugh. I don't understand the Bucks' fascination with blue of all colours. Seeing blue and creme replace red in the classic rainbow arrangement makes me sad.

 

Celtics- I like it. It has an old timey charm, which works.

 

Mavericks- I like this one too. I've always appreciated the Mavs' old identity, but the logo featuring an M instead of a D always bugged me. The script here is the perfect starting point if the Mavs ever wanted to do a "modern retro" redesign.

 

Raptors- UGHHHHH! Drake Night? That's what we're referencing? I don't even dislike Drake and I'm over the black and gold crap for the Raptors. I like that they dressed the raptor in the uni they won the championship in, but that homage is lost with the black and gold colour scheme. If they wanted to make that work then...how about this uni in the current colours? It would be a neat "90s look in today's colour scheme" alternate. But no...gotta do Drake. Ok. Whatever.

 

Spurs- I thought it was cool how, in the 90s and the early 2000s, the Spurs were a team with a colourful logo but black, white, and silver unis. It gave them a bit of a mystique. I've always resisted the idea that they'd look good with the fiesta colours on the actual unis, but this is fine for an alternate.

 

Jazz- More of Nike "throwing back" to concepts that are less than a decade old, which they created. Cool. Why not the classic jazz note look in the 90s colours? This is just...I feel nothing. And I consider the Jazz my "second team."

 

Magic- EVEN MORE Nike "throwing back" to their own recent concepts. Did anyone want the classic Magic look in black and orange? Why?

 

Suns- I have no idea what's different about this compared to last year's alternates. Which I will blame for their failure to win the championship.

 

Lakers- It's a neat concept, I guess? This should have been the Jazz's mid-2000s colour scheme.

 

Kings- What a popcorn fart of a uniform.

 

Thunder- I'm not nearly as sympathetic to Seattle/have a hate-on for Oklahoma City like other sports fans do over the Sonics to Thunder transition, but this uniform the bottom of the creative barrel. If this is all the brand has left to over then it. Move them back to Seattle.

 

Clippers- Much nicer than anything they've worn lately. This is a great start to building a fresh and interesting Clippers identity. Love it.

 

Wizards- I love anything Washington Bullets related, so these make me happy.

 

Timberwolves- This reminds me of the concepts you'd see here back when I first joined in the early 2000s. "What if it's the current Timberwolves, but in the old colours?" It's...ok...but I feel like that version of the T-Wolves' look loses something without the black.

 

Nuggets- The Nuggets have had a history of mostly bland uniforms, but I feel like there's a good, solid identity buried somewhere in there (see what I did?) This is a good attempt to try and flesh it out. I dig it.

 

Bobcats Hornets- It's crazy but I like it...for the most part. I REALLY don't like the cursive "Charlotte" script though. It doesn't even fit, as it's never been used by either Charlotte NBA franchise. Nike says it recalls the team's 80s playoff run and I don't even understand how that's possible. The team never used it! I, as one of three people who liked the Bobcats' identity, would have preferred it if they'd gone with "CHARLOTTE" or "HORNETS" in the font of the old Bobcats wordmark.

 

Nets- I love the 1990-1997 Nets wordmark and logo. The tie-dye was a bit out there, but seeing that era of the Nets' identity simplified into classic red, white, and blue with nods to the awesome ABA unis really tells me this is what the Nets need to embrace. Not the black and white stuff. My only issues are the shorts. The 2000s Nets logo on the waistband looks jarring, and the 80s New Jersey Nets logo on the side is dumb. You're the Brooklyn Nets now. Don't rock an outdated logo. At least design a fauxback logo in the style of the 80s one that works for Brooklyn.

 

Warriors- I don't like the Warriors in black, I don't like the "roundel with the bridge" front logo for them, and I don't like the late 90s lightning bolt warrior look...but as a thought experiment merging these ideas...it does a good job. I wouldn't buy it if I were a Warriors fan, but it's perfectly acceptable.

 

Heat- "We couldn't think of anything so we're treating the uniform history of the team like we're serial killers sending a ransom note."

 

Knicks- First gotta love the super self-conscious NYC behind the Nike swoosh as if to say "WE'RE STILL NEW YORK'S TEAM" nearly a decade after the Nets moved into the city. Also...black? Really? That's the era of Knicks basketball you want to reference?

 

I liked a lot of these. I hated a lot of these. Again, Nike's insistence on a slew of new uniforms for most teams per year is burning through viable concepts. They need to stop, but they won't.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The cut and paste nature of all of these is so lazy. Some look okay. Some look dumb. But all of them are just scavenging prior work. What happens when there's no new work to scavenge? Are we going to start mix tapes of mix tapes?

[CaliforniaGlowin]

1 hour ago, dont care said:

I don’t speak Spanish but does it say in there why some like jimmy butler have two different style 2’s but Omar yurts even has the same style 7’s. Are the players selecting what numbers they want? I really don’t know what Miami was thinking with these random note uniforms.

Yes, players and fans can pick their number styles.

 

I'm definitely watching those Spurs city games, especially vs. Nets gray and Utah city!!!

 

Wolves wearing green uniforms 11 times this season!  That's gotta be a record.  One game is against Suns orange!