by The NBA Christmas Day list is always a giveaway, but in recent years a certain tradition has been missing during the holiday season: Christmas jerseys.
So what happened?
The answer is simple: Nike took over the NBA’s jersey contract from Adidas in 2017 and didn’t continue the festive look of its predecessor.
Bah, impostor.
Despite its absence, Nike offers a variety of jersey combinations with four jersey versions: Association, Icon, City, and Notice.
Nike’s decision hasn’t stopped fans and gamers alike from missing out on Yuletide outfits. LeBron James, who will play on Christmas for the 16th season in a row in 2020, focused on the subject.
MAN I wish I’d walked into the dressing room tomorrow and had uniforms on Christmas Day! Bringing them back is a must @Nike @nikebasketball I see those Lakers 🧊 unis on the airlines. Shh!!!! 😱
— LeBron James (@KingJames) 25 December 2019
Not giving up on the Los Angeles Lakers star’s plea, Nike has no plans for fashion to return.
“We love the range of products we have now. The storytelling we can tell is really solid,” Nike said. According to ESPN’s Nick DePaula.
In the meantime, take a look at the souvenir (or candy cane) ribbon in short-lived holiday ensembles:
2008-11: Snowflakes
It all started with the white snowflake around the logo on the front of the teams’ jerseys. The league also tried to include teams mainly red and green.
2012: Big color
This monochrome color scheme officially introduced the holiday trend on the 65th anniversary of the NBA games on Christmas Day.
2013: Big logo
The large, centered logo was intended to be the focal point, but the sleeves eventually became a key talking point. Although the jerseys are 26% lighter than the traditional NBA jersey, players claimed that the extra fabric affected their shots. The T-shirt jersey also featured in the All-Star Game.
Overall, these were not well received by NBA Twitter, including Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
Call me old-fashioned but these sleeveless jerseys suck…..
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) December 25, 2013
