It’s official: No one likes the NBA’s sleeved uniforms.
Sweeping generalizations are typically taboo. Who am I to speak for everyone? Seriously, who am I? Nobody—in the scheme of everyone, at least.
Same holds true here. I can’t say everyone hates those jerseys—except I just did. Because everyone hates them. That’s how it seems.
A select few diplomatic answers will be given, but the message is always the same: These things suuuuuuuck.
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel and Paul George pretty much said the same, though they didn’t put it as eloquently as I just did. And by “eloquently,” I of course mean “brash and forthright.”
“It’s different,” George said of the All-Star jerseys that were unveiled, per Pacers.com’s Scott Agness. “I’m not really fan of sleeves but it’s different.”
Translation: They suck; they suck; they suck; and suck some more.
“The colors are a little wild,” George added. “It’ll take some getting used to.”
Unlike many other of the NBA’s premiere players, George will be sporting the jersey for his first time at the All-Star game. Many others tried them out during Christmas Day festivities. The Pacers were not one of the 10 teams in action, though. But that’s an argument for another day. Point is, George isn’t a fan of these jerseys.
And neither is Vogel.
“I’m glad the coaching staff doesn’t have to wear them,” he joked.
Zing.
Here’s a picture of the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star jerseys, courtesy of NBA.com:
So yeah, about these…
They don’t look very good. Or even good. Or even close to good. They’re awful—especially the East’s uniforms, which look like a soccer jersey mated with a pajama shirt to form one big eyesore.
Maybe we’re just not used to them. Or perhaps we’ll never be used to them. Whatever the case, they don’t look good now, and I’m left wondering how many people actually want to purchase their own.
That’s what this is mostly about, after all—building the Association’s brand, something I understand and fully support. The league has never been bigger, never been better. And the NBA’s attempt to offer more purchasing options is valiant.
But these jerseys just aren’t working.
Hopefully they’ll look better during the game, once they’re on the players and soaking up sweat. Most likely, though, they’ll be just as hideous and confusing to look at. They’re basically glorified warmups. Plus, you know, that “soccer jersey mates with pajama shirt” thing.
Quite obviously, you can see George’s and Vogel’s distaste for this garb. But hey, we’ve all had to abide by a dress code at work that we didn’t like at one point or another.
In a previous life, I worked for CVS/pharmacy, the blood-sucking monster of all your pharmaceutical needs. I hated it. Was disgusted by it. What made it worse was having to wear their god-awful polo work shirts. First, they were baby blue. Then, they became this dark and dingy blue. I hated both versions. They were so bad, they make me want to wear the NBA’s sleeved jerseys to my best friend’s wedding.
So at least George and the league’s other All-Stars will have that going for them, right?
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
