As previously reported, Adidas – the current NBA uniform supplier – will not renew their contract with the league following the conclusion of the 2016-17 NBA season. ESPN reported earlier this year that Adidas global basketball manager Chris Grancio had been quoted saying that the current deal, worth a reported $400 million, “wasn’t as lucrative as the company had hoped.â€
[Related: Drake Promises To Rebrand The Toronto Raptors By 2016]
Today however, news of the uniforms for next season has appeared in the form of an Adidas catalog which surfaced in a popular online sports blog. The catalog provides looks at several key insights into the forth coming uniform changes, and ESPN has compiled the “highlights†which can be found below –
– Five teams will be getting makeovers for next season: the 76ers, Bucks, Clippers, Hawks and Raptors. None of these designs has been officially released yet, nor are they shown in the catalog…
– The Nuggets will be making some adjustments to their lettering and uniform numbers, but their basic design template will not be changing.
– The Rockets will have an updated tailoring silhouette and will also be making a small adjustment to their uniform number.
– The Mavericks will be rolling out the new alternate uniform designed by Mavs fan Geoff Case. This design was unveiled last September but has not yet been worn.
– Many teams have new alternate or pride jerseys in the works. The league has its own classification system for these jerseys, depending on whether they can be worn only at home, only on the road or both.
– Several additional teams will apparently be experimenting with “Stretch” versions of their road jerseys. It’s not yet clear what this will entail.
– Nine teams will be wearing throwback uniforms. The most intriguing designs are for the Warriors, who’ll be wearing their gold “The City” jersey, widely considered to be one of the best uniforms in basketball history, and the Grizzlies, who’ll be dressing up as the ABA’s old Memphis Sounds.
– The Heat will have a “military uniform.” The design is not yet available, but at least two other NBA teams, the Spurs and Raptors, have previously paid tribute to the military by wearing camouflage.
While it’s clear that many teams are going to be sporting new looks next year, one of the more exciting uniform changes takes place in Toronto where the Raptors will step onto the court in newly designed black and gold “Drake Alternate†jerseys several times next year. Drake, the prolific rapper and Toronto native, was appointed the team’s Global Ambassador back in 2013 – in advance of the team’s 20th anniversary and their hosting of the 2016 NBA All Star game.
Following the 2016-17 season, it’s unclear who will make the NBA’s jersey going forward – but it’s widely believed that Nike and Under Armour will be apart of the companies vying for the contract. Adidas will maintain a strong presence in the NBA, as they currently sponsor NBA All-Stars Derrick Rose,Dwight Howard, Damian Lillard, Jeff Teague and Tim Duncan. In an interview with Business Journal, Grancio said “We haven’t been able to elevate our brand for the basketball consumer that we’re targeting, we ultimately decided that we would change our investment strategy and invest more in players on the court.”