The NBA Christmas Day slate is always a gift, but the presence of a certain tradition has been missing from the holiday season in recent years: Christmas jerseys.
So, what happened?
The answer is simple: Nike took over the NBA’s uniform contract from Adidas in 2017 and did not continue the festive looks of its predecessor.
Bah, humbug.
Despite its absence, Nike offers a variety of uniform combinations with its four jersey editions: Association, Icon, City and Statement.
Nike’s decision hasn’t stopped fans and players alike from missing the Yuletide attire. In 2020, LeBron James, who will play on Christmas for the 16th season in a row, weighed in on the matter.
MAN i wish I walked into the locker room tomorrow and we had Christmas Day uniforms! It’s a MUST we bring those back @Nike @nikebasketball I’ve been seeing those Lakers 🧊 unis over the airways. Sheesh!!!! 😱
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 25, 2019
Nike, undeterred by the Los Angeles Lakers star’s plea, does not have a plan for the fad to return.
“We like the assortment we have now. The storytelling we’re able to tell is really robust,” Nike said, per ESPN’s Nick DePaula.
In the meantime, here’s look down memory (or candy cane) lane at the short-lived holiday ensembles:
2008-11: Snowflakes
It all began with a white snowflake around the logo on the front of teams’ jerseys. The league also made an effort to feature teams with primarily red and green colors.
2012: Big color
This monochromatic color scheme formally introduced the holiday trend on the 65th anniversary of Christmas Day NBA games.
2013: Big logo
The large, centered logo was intended to be the focal point, but the sleeves ended up being a major talking point. Although the uniforms were 26% lighter than the traditional NBA jersey, players claimed the extra fabric affected their shooting. The T-shirt jersey also made an appearance in the All-Star Game.
Overall, these were not received well by NBA Twitter, including Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
Call me old school but these jerseys with sleeves are awful…..
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) December 25, 2013