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After much anticipation, Nike today reveals a first look at the game uniforms for the upcoming 2017-18 NBA season.
With over a quarter century’s worth of research and insight from all levels of basketball and many of its players, Nike introduces a refined iteration of the Nike Aeroswift basketball chassis. Built to endure the grueling 82-game season, Nike has implemented 3D-body mapping for players, including sweat and heat maps.
As with all great design work, testing is coursed years before said items go into mass production and ultimately retail release. NBA players, including many from last year’s gold medal-winning USA Basketball squad, tested earlier iterations of the uniforms to provide feedback to Nike regarding their experiences in the budding design. The player’s input informed updates like slight maneuvering of the armhole, neck and side seams and, most importantly, back shoulder and hemline updates that provide an effortless full range of motion.
A combination of Alpha Yarns and recycled polyester, furthering Nike’s commitment to sustainability, combine to construct each uniform. Each individual player’s uniform employs approximately 20 recycled PET bottles, which also aids in reducing moisture more quickly than past uniforms — 30% quicker to be exact.
Also interesting, Nike is doing away with the notion of “Home” and “Away” uniforms, allowing the home team to decide which uniform they’d like to wear. This decision will inform that of the opposing teams option of a contrasting uniform. Given this decision, Nike has worked with the NBA to design four core uniforms for each team, all drawing from rich NBA heritage and team history:
– Association (Classic white)
– Icon (Team color)
– Athlete Mindset
– Community (Locally inspired)
Take a first look at the 2017-18 NBA uniforms by Nike and stay tuned for more.
