I can honestly say, this is one throwback uniform I never thought we’d ever see… But now that it’s happening, all the yesses in the world!
The Brooklyn Nets today made official what was previously leaked, and that is the return of their one-year tie-dye wonders as a “Classic” uniform for the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Nets wore these colourful uniforms as their full-time road outfit back when they were known as the New Jersey Nets in the 1990-91 season. It’s said that issues replicating the tie-dye style pattern on their retail replica jerseys forced the league to step in and change the base to a more traditional solid colour. The Nets then wore a royal blue version of this design for the next six seasons, replacing it when they did a total re-branding in 1997.
“For next season the Brooklyn Nets are bringing back a fan favourite, one of the most-talked-about jerseys in NBA history, with their first Classic Edition uniform”, the Nets wrote on the uniform launch site. “Thirty years ago, the Nets launched the 1990s with an aesthetic reset, introducing a new logo and new uniforms. The piece that grabbed everybody’s attention was the new road set, a washed-out, sky blue-to-white gradient that looked like nothing the league had seen before. It has gone down in NBA history as the ‘tie-dye’ jersey.”
“You’ve got the classic jersey that we’re paying homage to, just that brief snapshot in Nets history”, Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving said to NBA.com. “I’m grateful to be able to do it, and I’m honoured to be able to do it, because I know putting that on is just paying homage to the legends that came before me.”
This new Nets uniform is officially classified as a “Classic Edition” set, which means it will only be around for one season (again!) and will only be worn a handful of times during the (likely) already abbreviated 2020-21 NBA season. Classic Edition uniforms are only permitted to be worn during a team’s “milestone anniversary” season (something that ends in 0 or 5, essentially), next season will be the Nets’ 45th in the NBA so I presume that’s the one they’re going with.
