adidas, NBA Officially Unveil 2014 NBA All-Star Jerseys

Following the leak earlier this morning, adidas and the NBA have officially unveiled the 2014 All-Star Game jerseys.

The explanation of the designs from adidas’ official press release below, with extra “u”s added in by us because… Canada:

Designed by adidas, the uniforms take inspiration from New Orleans’ rich and unique culture, featuring bright Mardi Gras colours, shiny brass and silver accents on a short sleeve silhouette.

From the prominent fleur-de-lis logo to the bright Mardi Gras accent colours, the 2014 NBA All-Star uniforms were inspired by the city’s history, culture and music
Short-sleeve jerseys feature a fleur-de-lis, the official state symbol of Louisiana
Within the fleur-de-lis logo is a cut out of “W” or “E” representing each conference
Bright, celebratory infusion of Mardi Gras purple and green colours accent the West (red) and East (blue) jerseys, respectively
Woven shorts for reduced weight and increased performance feature a perforated design pattern in each conference’s Mardi Gras accent colour

A series of quotes from Chris Grancio, Global Head of Basketball Sports Marketing at adidas explains the thought process behind, not only the All-Star jersey design, but just using sleeves in general in the NBA.

On why they started making sleeved jerseys:

“For us, we looked at the landscape of basketball, we saw players playing in t-shirts everywhere, fans on the street wearing sleeves and NBA players in practice. So for us, we thought it was a great opportunity to introduce something new and innovative. It took us a long time to develop it, to make sure the sleeves perform the way we needed them to, the way we’ve engineered the gusset, there’s no resistance. It plays and feels like just like a regular jersey.”

On the All-Star Game jerseys:

“Each year, we look forward to developing a unique on-court look for the players that pays homage to the host city and adds to the excitement of this highly anticipated game, this year’s All-Star collection reflects New Orleans’ festive musical history while also providing the premium performance elements that NBA athletes have grown accustomed to.”

The 2014 NBA All-Star Game will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, February 16th. Jerseys will be made available for sale on NBA.com ranging from $80 – $130 US.

A couple of additional photos from the official unveiling below: