Fire or dumpster fire? NBA All-Star Game jersey designs met with mixed reviews
Images of this year’s black and white NBA All-Star jerseys leaked to SportsLogos.net’s Conrad Burry, and you will be shocked to learn not everyone agrees whether Nike’s simplistic design is rad or bad.
The front of the uniforms will reportedly feature a toned-down version of a player’s team logo, accompanied by KIA and Jordan Brand advertisements, all opposing a black or white background. The back of the jerseys have the NBA logo inside a star at the top and a player’s number above his name.
Here are several images of the black version:
EXCLUSIVE: Over the weekend, I obtained official photos of the black set of 2018 NBA All-Star Game uniforms. This is as close as we'll get to official confirmation other than the league itself releasing them. Check the hi-res photos + detail photos here https://t.co/i6sjF5dYAl pic.twitter.com/DHqbvMVciz
— Conrad Burry (@conradburry) January 22, 2018
The NBA All-Star uniforms have been leaked by @conradburry. Here's his photo of Russell Westbrook's jersey. Could either be black or white depending on home/away status. pic.twitter.com/3pf6D16FBm
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) January 22, 2018
The white jerseys will simply be the reverse, according to Burry. We won’t know which players will wear which color until captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry select teams from the player pool.
Nike took over uniform designs this season after the NBA’s decade-long partnership with Adidas, paying an estimated $1 billion through 2025, and the company’s investment was met with immediate controversy, as James tore his jersey between the numbers on opening night. Several other players had their jerseys torn, and Nike vowed to fix the problem. It has not been an issue in recent months.
The final verdict on this year’s All-Star jerseys is equally unclear. The reactions on Reddit range from “They’re so plain and dull lol” to “While it may look dull and boring to some, I kinda like this clean looking version.” Not exactly ringing endorsements. And the responses on social media were less kind:
— Norm Caudell (@NormCaudell) January 22, 2018
— XicanoXL (@XicanoXL) January 22, 2018
This might be the most disappointed I’ve ever been with the swoosh. They couldve came strong!! ♂️
— Devin Howard (@IamDHOW) January 22, 2018
@NBA @nikebasketball
I hope that you do better next year with the jerseys and shoes for the All-Star Game and The Christmas Games, because I feel a little Robbed.— Grand Master 5ft (@BlizzyTaughtme) January 21, 2018
Still, the reception wasn’t entirely negative:
I like
— SaMelo L. Jackson (@John1and1) January 22, 2018
Pretty hot.
— Jeff Pickles (@jeff_pickles) January 22, 2018
Hey, what do you know: People think differently and can’t agree online! Count me in the camp that doesn’t think they’re so bad, outside of the simplicity accentuating the ads to a aesthetically displeasing degree. Then again, I’m partially colorblind. Let us know what you think of the new jerseys.
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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach