Pulse Check: Artifacts of the Game Part 1 - Jerseys
Powered by Cheez-It®, Pulse Check is a series that delves into the rich history and enduring impact of basketball. In the first of five installments, we’ll look closer at a timeless and integral artifact of the game: the jersey.
Growing up a basketball fan, it’s not uncommon to want to rock your favorite team’s statement threads or a popular player’s signature number. I mean, with the countless culture-defining personalities and prestigious programs that exist under the sport’s vast umbrella, there are plenty of fantastic fandoms worth repping.
Still, for lifelong hoop heads—like myself—extensive lore exists in every stitch and style of jersey seen throughout basketball’s expansive timeline. As colorful relics used to chronicle the evolution of the game, jerseys are tangible reflections of a larger conversation that has endured on and off the court for generations.
Before becoming treasured symbols of basketball’s illustrious lineage, jerseys evolved from humble beginnings. In the 1890s, shortly after Dr. James Naismith's epiphanic invention of the game, first adopters spent more time acclimating to the sport’s rules than worrying about how they looked while playing. Often arriving at the gym in their everyday clothes (i.e., beat-up trousers and wool undershirts), most people put little thought into how they appeared, as they were more preoccupied with figuring out how to get the ball to its desired destination efficiently.
As time passed and basketball became a more widely recognized pastime, the need to differentiate between opposing sides became increasingly important—for obvious reasons. With the creation of specialized leagues around the turn of the 20th century, organizers implemented jerseys out of necessity to accommodate the growing interest in participation. Originally made from wool fabrics, production shifted to include more breathable materials like nylon and polyester in the 1940s, as they proved to be better suited to the sport's physically demanding requirements. Unknowingly, perhaps, these early organizations laid the groundwork for future fanatics, branding their tops with discernible elements unique to each team.
Even after the NBA’s founding in 1946, the jersey’s role remained relatively stagnant, serving its intended purpose of distinguishing one team from another. It wasn’t until almost 40 years later that the image of game-worn gear and its relevance in culture began to morph into what we see today.
During this almost half-century maturation period, the type of athletes who played basketball also changed drastically. Once-in-a-lifetime talents quickly took over and elevated the entire profile of the game, which at that stage mainly consisted of average Joes splitting their time between playing ball and a regular 9-to-5. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, fans gravitated toward greats like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Erving, creating an intriguing allure that gave the NBA its distinctive appeal. It wasn’t just your neighbors playing down at the local YMCA anymore; these were larger-than-life professionals dedicated to their craft. This type of player inspired awe in those who had the chance to witness their greatness, giving many a reason to tune in and follow along.
However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that momentum really started to build. Leveraging the excitement around storybook rivalries and capitalizing on marquee talents like Michael Jordan, the NBA began selling replica jerseys to appeal to its nationwide audience. Locking in its first official outfitter, MacGregor-Sand Knit, ahead of the 1986 season, the league made a conscious decision to homogenize the look and feel of the game as it expanded into new markets. In the league’s eyes, these mementos gave people a chance to feel closer to their beloved teams, hopefully cementing lifelong connections in the process.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw basketball infiltrate other sectors of culture as budding diehards finally got the opportunity to show support for their favorite teams. Adopted by blossoming subcultures, the demand for jerseys skyrocketed in response to players becoming bona fide icons. Showing up in movies and on TV, high-profile hoopers built up a level of notoriety that transcended the game itself, giving casual and superfans alike all the more reason to cop some gear. Most notably embraced by the Hip-Hop community, jerseys acted as the centerpiece for various fashion trends born from rap and basketball's mutual affinity for one another.
From Nelly rocking backward basketball tops on the red carpet to legends Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant stepping into the booth to lay down 16 bars, a fluidity was established between the two disciplines, forever intertwining them—after all, the saying goes, “All rappers want to ball, and all ballers want to rap.”
By the mid-aughts, jerseys represented cultural ties as much as they did athletic allegiance and, in some cases, leaned more toward the former. With several big-name brands like Reebok and Champion vying for the sole rights to develop the NBA’s uniforms, the diverse output led to one of the most dynamic eras in the jersey timeline. Marked by vibrant colors and bold, hyperbolic interpretations of team logos, this period produced silhouettes that some basketball purists regard as the greatest styles the league has ever seen.
Today, it’s all about nostalgia, with loyalists of the game looking to the past to satisfy their jersey needs. Uncovering forgotten players from seasons past or sporting archival iterations from storied franchises, the collective dedicated to preserving the game through its identifiable apparel is alive and well. Now, it's not so much about who you’re wearing, but more about which era it belongs to. The more hyper-niche, the more historical weight it carries, signifying a certain level of expertise in the game.
Seen everywhere from the timeline to the runway, the enduring popularity of jerseys substantiates basketball’s longstanding influence on culture. And as arguably the sport with the most natural swagger—from the tip-off to the final horn—it should be no surprise they’ve stuck around this long.
Stay tuned for more from Pulse Check.
