Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boys-Inspired City Edition Jerseys Leak

*Photo courtesy of @itstheshorts on X/Twitter.*

The Detroit Pistons earlier this week became the latest team to have their 2023-24 City Edition jerseys leaked ahead of the NBA’s league-wide reveal in November.

The black jerseys feature a silver “Detroit” wordmark across the chest, which was undoubtedly inspired by the “Detroit Bad Boys” shirts that exploded in popularity as the franchise won back-to-back championships in 1988-89 and 1989-90.

The shirts, created by Billy Berris of The Athletic Supporter Ltd. and graphic designer Robin Brant, prominently displayed a basketball behind a skull and crossbones, as well as a font that was reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” album artwork.

*Photo courtesy of the Pistons’ official team store.*

While those elements don’t appear to be on the jersey, the tribute to late head coach Chuck Daly near the jock tag also points to the Bad Boys era. Note his signature and the patch that blends the Pistons’ logo, his initials and the No. 2 for the aforementioned titles.

While this marks the second straight City Edition uniform devoid of one of the Pistons’ primary colors, it’s clear Nike leaned into the silver and black aesthetic of the Los Angeles Raiders that influenced the vintage shirts for this year’s design.

For those unaware, late owner and NFL villain Al Davis actually sent the Pistons a box full of Raiders gear during the 1988-89 preseason and the players wore it during practice and pregame. Fans followed suit, and from that spawned the “Detroit Bad Boys” t-shirts.

That said, there are still some details left to the imagination when it comes to the Pistons’ leaked City jersey, as it doesn’t have any numbers. They’ll most likely be red, though, complementing the red trim on the collar, arm holes and side panels.