When Nike again became the official apparel partner of the NBA at the start of the 2017-18 season, they aimed to bring landmark change and a new line of thinking. With that, Nike did away with teams wearing traditional home and away jerseys.
Instead, they created Association, Icon and Statement Editions for each team. That amounted to jarring change for the Los Angeles Lakers, such as wearing their customary home yellow uniforms during a road game against the Boston Celtics.
Additionaly, after their unveiling in late November, the Lakers have twice worn their purple, or “Statement” jerseys, at home. On Wednesday, Nike unveiled “The City Edition” jerseys for most teams.
The Lakers’ theme is aptly inspired by Kobe Bryant, who designed the Black Mamba look. It’s the first iteration of the “Lore Series,” which will pay homage to franchise legends.
The Lakers will debut the alternate jersey in a Jan. 26 road game against the Chicago Bulls, and wear the uniform eight times this season, the team announced:
“I think they’re awesome,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said of the uniforms. “I can’t wait to get one for myself. It’s something a little different. It’s got [Bryant’s] nice little touches on it.
“He was always heavily involved in the design of his own shoe, and I’ve always been a fan of those. I think he does a nice job with the subtleties of the jersey he put together. I think it will be fun for the team and fans when we pull them out.”
Beyond the snakeskin look, the Lakers’ design includes 16 starts on the uniform’s side panels to represent each of their championships.
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