NBA basketball is about an awful lot more than basketball. Presentation is huge. That includes videos on the jumbotron, on-court presenters, mascots, dance teams, dead-ball entertainment, halftime shows, local television broadcasts, music, the design of the court itself and more.
But the most prevalent and visible part of the presentation might be the jerseys on the players themselves. Throughout most of the two-plus hours of an NBA game, 10 of the world's premiere athletes are on the floor, donning uniforms that say something about fashion in sports, tradition, the region in which a team plays or something else altogether. Over the last 10 years, we've seen some truly awesome jerseys.
Below, you'll find our favorites. The Warriors' 2017 Statement Edition jerseys, emblazoned with "The Town" in homage to Oakland and adorned with the iconic oak tree that represents the city, were a bittersweet acknowledgement of the team's history. Chase Center was already under construction in San Francisco at the time, and the Dubs would play just two more years in Oakland.
While it's true the Warriors debuted as a California operation in San Francisco, they'd been in Oakland since 1971. Years-long rebranding efforts to make Golden State "the bay's team" never really erased the sense that the Warriors belonged to Oakland. History lesson aside, these jerseys were Golden State's first non-sleeved foray into a black-and-white color scheme.
It was a strong look for what was, at the time, an excep.