Nike previews jerseys for the upcoming NBA 2017-18 season
In June 2015, Nike and the NBA announced a eight year partnership. The first year of that partnership kicks off with the 2017-18 season, which is just a few months away. The main part of the deal includes Nike taking over for Adidas and providing jerseys for all of the NBA's 30 teams. Earlier this week, the Swoosh previewed the jerseys.
With 25 years of technological research and feedback from players like Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green that were on the 2016 Olympic Games' gold winning Team USA, the jerseys are a refined version of the Nike Aeroswift basketball chassis.
“The mental advantage of a quality uniform is priceless. The fact that Nike listened to all of our feedback while developing the new NBA uniforms speaks volumes, I’m excited for the new fit and feel.” - Kyrie Irving
Nike designers made significant changes to the weight, fit, and construction of the jerseys in order to enable agility. They also modified the hemlines on the bottom of the jerseys and shorts to allow for full range of motion. The jerseys themselves are comprised of Alpha Yarns and recycled polyester, a mix that aides in removing moisture more quickly.
Additionally, the NBA will forgo traditional home and away jersey designations. Instead, each team can pick any of the four jersey editions as their home jersey. As for visiting teams, they will choose a contrasting jersey.
The four editions of the jerseys are: Association edition, Icon edition, Athlete's Mindset, and The Community. Eight teams will get an additional jersey in the Classic edition that celebrates some of the league's most iconic jerseys. The Charlotte Bobcats, who are owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, will be the only team to get a Jordan Brand jersey.
Along with jerseys, Nike will provide tights and socks that have yet to be revealed.
For more details on the jerseys, read Nike's press release here.
