These are nice for the most part, but some are... interesting.
On Wednesday, the NBA unveiled 16 Earned Edition uniforms for the 16 teams that made the 2020 NBA playoffs. Last year, specifically, was a year in which teams really had to earn their playoff berth, considering the coronavirus pandemic and all the sacrifices that needed to be made in order to see the season continue. For that reason, these teams were rewarded with some new threads, of which there have been several leaks but no official announcement until now.
In a statement from the league, the design was explained as follows:
As an added nod to the 2020 NBA Playoff teams and their pursuit of an NBA championship, 15 of the uniforms are adorned with special silver insignias including a silver Nike swoosh on the top left front of the uniforms; a silver Earned Edition jocktag on the bottom right front; and a silver NBA logo on the back, above the player’s name. Each pair of shorts additionally features a silver Nike swoosh and silver Nike logo as well. The Earned Edition uniform for the 2020 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers stands alone with these marks decorated in gold to honor the NBA Championship the team earned in Orlando, Fla. at the conclusion of a historic NBA season.
Fan reviews were certainly mixed — it's easy enough to tell by a quick scroll through Twitter comments, where you'll see such lovely thoughts as "who the f--- is designing this sh--?" — but I think that they look pretty good, for the most part.
Some thoughts:
— My favorites belong to the Nuggets and the Magic. That Magic one, with the Disney logo proudly perched in the corner, looks like it could have been the uniforms worn in a Disney film. Whether or not the players like that remains to be seen, but Magic fans need a pick-me-up right about now, especially with some players' futures in doubt.
— Why are the Pacers' pinstripes diagonal?
— I can't really tell what shade of yellow-orange the Heat will be rocking, but my initial instinct is that it looks too similar to like... mustard? Or some sort of construction equipment?
— The Nets' subway font and styling is pretty cool and serves to the authenticity that design teams are often looking for.
— I never thought a gray, black and white jersey could be that cool, but the Blazers' threads look clean.
— Cream-colored Sixers jerseys? Not exactly what would have come to mind, but I don't hate them.
— Is that a Jazz jersey or a Sonics jersey?
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @RDCSports and @jordancohn2!
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