USHERING their renewed partnership, Nike, Inc. and the National Basketball Association (NBA) recently unveiled three uniform innovations designed to further enhance fan experience.
In an event held in Los Angeles at the weekend that featured players from all 30 NBA teams, the two major global basketball stakeholders showed to the public for the first time the Nike NBA Connected Jersey, Statement Edition uniforms, and the Nike Therma Flex Showtime Warm-up Jacket.
The latest league apparels, officials said, serve to underscore the strong link between Nike and The Association throughout the years while also exploring the potential for continued growth.
“When you think about basketball, you think of Nike and the NBA,” said Mark Parker, Chairman, CEO and President of Nike in a statement during the unveiling of the new and innovative league apparels.
“After helping fuel the sport’s impact for years, we are thrilled to now be able to push the boundaries of what’s possible directly with the NBA. From modernizing the look of the game to revolutionizing how fans can be a part of it, we can’t wait for the season to start,” the Nike official said.
The significance of their partnership and the uniform innovations that have been introduced is not lost to the NBA, seeing how it would only redound on the fans and how they follow the league.
“Our Nike uniforms set a new standard for connecting our most passionate fans with their favorite NBA teams and players,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.
Adding, “Nike has once again taken the game of basketball to a new level, this time with one of the most advanced jerseys in sports.”
CLOSER TO THE GAME
Using new NikeConnect technology, each adult-sized Nike NBA Connected Jersey will have an embedded NFC (near field communication) chip that will launch real-time team and player content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages and top players’ favorite music playlists — all on the jersey owner’s mobile device. Throughout the season, a wealth of exclusive offers and experiences will bring fans closer to the game they love.
To unlock it all, fans will download the NikeConnect app and tap the jersey with their smartphone.
The Statement Edition uniforms, meanwhile, is inspired by teams’ desire to make a bold statement the moment they step on the court. Nike’s designers worked with the teams and the brand’s roster of athletes to create new and updated uniforms for the third of four core team uniforms after the Association and Icon Edition uniforms. The fourth team edition will be released later this year.
The Nike Therma Flex Showtime Warm-up Jacket, for its part, is the first on-court warm-up jacket with a performance hood. Celebrating the style of the game, Nike designers refreshed a beloved apparel staple into a new performance product for athletes on and off the court.
It is created with new Nike Therma Flex fabric which helps athletes maintain the right body temperature during pregame warm-ups and downtime during a game. The jacket is developed with input from top NBA athletes and features a reimagined hood that allows for optimal vision, hearing and warmth, delivering a greater intersection between performance and style.
The Nike NBA Connected Jersey is available exclusively online starting Sept. 29, and the Nike NBA uniforms and Nike Therma Flex Showtime Warm-up Jacket will debut on-court on Sept. 30, the start of the NBA preseason. All Statement Edition jerseys will be available at retail on Nov. 20, and will begin being worn on-court on Nov. 25. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
