The Los Angeles Lakers have delighted their fans with many stunning jersey designs since Nike took over the NBA apparel contract.
A new light blue, grey, and white uniform designed by Elgin Baylor has joined the Lore Series family, which includes the famous Black Mamba jersey created by the late Kobe Bryant himself, as the latest City Edition collection.
And the Lakers revealed Baylor also created the new Classic set, a modern twist on the franchise’s royal blue look the 86-year-old Hall-of-Famer and his teammates donned as the away jersey in the 1960s.
Baylor’s design is a throwback to the pre-purple and gold era in Lakers history. The organization switched to its current colors in 1967, seven years after moving to the West Coast from Minneapolis.
City & Classic: 60 Years in the Making
Narrated by Elgin Baylor pic.twitter.com/nhFKDjqEZB
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 4, 2020
Dual by Nature
Introducing the 1960 Original & the 2020 Remix ???????? pic.twitter.com/MWE9Qc1D6S
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 4, 2020
Unlike the City Edition jersey, the design retained the lettering reminiscent of the early Los Angeles-times, not the Showtime Era. The 2020-21 season marks the 60th anniversary of the franchise moving to California.
Apart from Bryant and Baylor, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal have been honored with adding their touches to the Lore Series. The former Lakers president of basketball operations designed the 2018-19 City Edition jersey.
And O’Neal created its 2019-20 version that accompanied L.A. on its championship run in the Orlando bubble. The organization also brought back Bryant’s Black Mamba jersey last season following his tragic death in January.
Black Mamba jersey served as extra motivation for Heat
During the postseason the Lakers famously had not lost a game while wearing the Black Mamba jerseys up until facing the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. With an opportunity to close the series out and reclaim the long-awaited championship, L.A. decided to switch things up and wore the uniform that gave them a 4-0 record.
However, the Lakers lost the game and Jae Crowder later said the buzz around the jerseys provided the Heat with extra motivation ahead of the showdown.
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