After the 2017 NBA season, the 11-year, $400 million partnership between the No. 3 sports brand in the world and the NBA will be over as Adidas has announced they will not bid to continue to supply uniforms for the League once their contract expires.
This is great news.
While NBA franchise values have soared in recent years, the look and approval of NBA franchise uniforms has plummeted. The latter might seem like a hyperbole, but the Adidas-approved sleeve-jersey trend has been a major blemish on an increasingly more exciting league.
From Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie writer Dan Devine’s article on the sleeve-jersey trend in March of 2014:
“The short-sleeved jerseys that the NBA and apparel partner Adidas introduced in small doses last season, and expanded in major ways across the league this season, have famously received quite a bit of criticism, from writers, owners, fans and, most importantly, players.
Stephen Curry thinks they’re ugly. Dirk Nowitzki thinks they look awful. Robin Lopez wants them burned. Beno Udrih said ithe sleeves “bothered [his] shot,” leading to some fairly heinous Christmas Day misses. Jarrett Jack called them disgusting and said his 2012-13 Golden State Warriors looked “like the Beach Police” and “like a volleyball team” while wearing their short-sleeved uniform tops.”
“The most notable critic, though, has been four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James. The Miami Heat star first raised concerns about the sleeved jerseys messing with the mechanics of shooters’ jumpers prior to Miami’s Christmas Day meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers; he’d later change course, saying that “there’s no problem” with the jerseys and that “they feel comfortable.” After the Heat beat the Lakers, though, he told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the sleeved jerseys represented “a different feeling. [I] felt a little tug” on his arm while raising up for jumpers.”
OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Jarrett Jack #2, David Lee #10, Carl Landry #7, Klay Thompson #11, and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors walk on to the court during their game against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena on February 22, 2013 in Oakland, California. The Warriors are wearing new short-sleeved uniforms for the first time. The Warriors won the game in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It’s a rarity for NBA owners, players, fans and writers to be on the same page on even just one particular issue, but the sleeve-jersey trend succeeded in uniting everyone in opposition of the experimentation of sleeves on NBA jerseys.
Adding sleeves to jerseys made sense in the business sense – with the thinking being that fans might be more apt to buying these types of jerseys rather than the sleeveless style – but with Adidas changing direction it’s fair to come to the conclusion that sleeve-jersey sales haven’t produced satisfying results.
From ESPN’s Darren Rovell’s piece on Mar. 16:
“Adidas global basketball manager Chris Grancio told the Portland Business Journal that the current deal, worth a reported $400 million, wasn’t as lucrative as the company had hoped.
In an attempt to jump-start its NBA business, Adidas has pushed sleeved jerseys, as the tank top isn’t as natural with fans as jerseys in other sports. Company officials have previously insisted that the sleeved jerseys have been successful, but many fans have ripped the look.”
HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY – JULY 05: Derrick Rose of Chicago Bulls visits adidas headquarters on July 5, 2013 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Getty Images for adidas)
It’s interesting that in Rovell’s report that “company officials have previously insisted that the sleeved jerseys have been successful”, but with Adidas saying their deal with the NBA hasn’t been as “lucrative as it hoped” it’s hard to believe the two issues aren’t closely related. If sleeved jerseys have been mostly a success, why changes to your basketball-business model and announce you’re not even going to attempt to extend your contract with the NBA that ends two years from now?
“Commissioner Adam Silver told Bleacher Report he intends to revisit the issue after the season. He plans to meet with LeBron James, one of the loudest critics of the jerseys. The NBA could decide to curtail the use of the sleeved jerseys, leave it up to individual teams or simply kill the program for good.
‘Ultimately, if the players don’t like them, we’ll move on to something else,” Silver told Bleacher Report. “I don’t regret doing it for this season. But it’s intended to be something fun for the fans and the players. And if it becomes a serious issue, as to whether players should be wearing sleeves, we’ll likely move onto other things.’”
Adam Silver and LeBron James, two of the most powerful figures in the Association, were seemingly on different sides of the fence on this issue a season ago, or, perhaps Silver was just playing devil’s advocate due to the NBA’s deal with Adidas not running out until after the 2017 season. Now that Adidas has publicly announced it will not attempt to re-up with the League, it will be interesting to see if Silver, and even LeBron, speak publicly about the future of sleeved jerseys now that the creators of the monstrosities will not be supplying the NBA with anymore uniforms after the 2017 season.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 25: A detailed view of the jersey of Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the NBA game against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on December 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers defeated the Warriors 100-86. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
With Under Armour surpassing Adidas as the No. 2 sports brand in the world last year, and Nike still sitting at No. 1, it will be interesting to see whether or not the two powerhouse brands engage in a bidding war in an effort to become the new supplier of NBA uniforms.
The important thing to remember right now, though, is that the creators of the sleeved-jersey movement is bowing out of the NBA uniform business and the likelihood of this jersey phase lasting past 2017 looks less likely than it did before.
And that’s progress.
