A handful of players wear shirts under their jerseys, so adidas has taken that to the next step.
The sports apparel giant has teamed up with the Golden State Warriors, who will wear “the first modern short sleeve NBA Uniform System” three times over the rest of the season.
That’s Warriors rookie Harrison Barnes wearing his superhero outfit. Oops, his T-shirt. Sorry, his “first modern short sleeve NBA Uniform System.”
According to a team release, the adizero short sleeve NBA Uniform System is 26 percent lighter than the team’s current uniforms. The Warriors were chosen by adidas because they are “one of the most aggressive and creative teams in the NBA,” the release said.
They are. Really. adidas said so.
“When adidas began working with us to develop the short sleeve jersey, I couldn’t wait to wear it in a game,” Barnes said. “I love the fit and style the sleeves give me on the court.”
If you want to read more of the dog and pony show, it’s on the Warriors’ website.
It features a lot of buzzwords like first, and new, and unique. But the truth is basketball teams were wearing T-shirts as official uniforms more than 40 years ago.
The Evansville Purple Aces – the alma mater of Jerry Sloan – wore T-shirts as the tops of their uniforms, as you can see in the black and white photo.
Yes, the material and fit of the adidas T-shirt uniform are likely state of the art and what Evansville wore probably felt like a burlap bag in comparison.
But as some fashionistas will tell you, there’s nothing new. It’s just really retro.
As for the Warriors, they will debut the T-shirts on Feb. 22 vs. San Antonio, which almost certainly will produce a dramatic eye roll from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. In a remarkable coincidence, the game is being televised by ESPN.
The Warriors will also wear the T-shirts on March 8 vs. Houston – another ESPN game – and March 15 vs. Chicago.