Looking Back at the History of NBA All-Star Uniforms

We are just a few days away from the NBA All-Star Weekend, which is set for February 18–20 in Cleveland.

The NBA All-Star Weekend is an event to be reckoned with. The hype and fans’ enthusiasm for this central game is surreal as it gets much more media coverage than your average season game. Before NBA finals, this event is highly anticipated even amongst bettors. The NBA odds will be the centre of attention after this event. 

What is an NBA All-Star Game and how did it start?

Every year in February, the NBA hosts a basketball exhibition event known as the All-Star Game. It features 24 of the top players in the league. The game is one of the highlights of NBA All-Star Weekend, which spans three days starting on Friday. On March 2, 1951, the Boston Garden hosted its first All-Star Game.

During a league board meeting, NBA publicity director Haskell Cohen and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown came up with the idea of creating an All-Star Game.

The Eastern All-Stars team defeated the Western All-Stars team 111-94 in the first All-Star Game at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. Ed Macauley won the first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award, and the event became a success with a crowd of over 10,000, a massive increase from the average of 3,000 that season.

A brief history of All-Star jerseys

There was a time when the All-Star jersey was less fashionable. When the All-Star uniforms were first introduced, the conference was emblazoned on the front, sewed on with a few stars, and the uniform was complete.

It’s amazing how much has changed in the past 70 years. It’s the same with the All-Star jerseys.

  • While most players wore their own jerseys for many years throughout the decades, game-specific jersey designs offer a glimpse into the era.
  • In the 1950s, the jerseys did not have any writing on them. The only writing was a player’s number and two stars. Their simplicity was pretty great, but they also resembled knockoffs.
  • In the 1960s, the material was itchy and irritated the players, but the design was good.
  • In the 1970s, after merging with the ABA, the NBA started to embrace some style to demonstrate that it had learned something from the ABA. Additionally, the league designed the jerseys to reflect the host city’s style during this decade.
  • In the 1980s, the NBA incorporated red, white, and blue into the All-Star jersey design, which remains to this day.
  • In the 1990s, the designers took a leap of faith and experimented with designs. It was a glorious era for uniforms as a black variation was introduced for the first time.
  • The 2000s was the time when special jerseys were reintroduced. The colours were attractive and the design exhibited a classic touch. Those jerseys are still fan favourite.
  • The most recent uniforms are modern and sleek but not exceptionally inspired. The decorative aspects are a bit over the top, abut the underlying pattern is a crowd-pleaser.

NBA All-Star 2022

We are just a few days away from the NBA All-Star Weekend, which is set for February 18–20 in Cleveland, and the starters and captains have been announced.

This year’s All-Star Game will be captained by LeBron James (L.A. Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets).

Durant’s team rosters include Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins.

LeBron’s team includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokie.

During the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan Brand will outfit the league’s stars for the fifth straight year. The Jordan Brand jerseys are deeply connected to basketball communities across the globe and will reflect the characteristics of Cleveland’s cityscape.

It pays homage to classic All-Star uniforms from the late 1980s and early 1990s and takes inspiration from the architecture of the city’s bridges. In addition to the celebration of the league’s 75th anniversary season, the colours are derived from the dazzling silver shine of a diamond paired with the blue and red of the NBA logo.

The Nike Rising Stars uniforms are also city-inspired. As a result, the event’s new four-team format is reflected in four colours inspired by the refraction of diamonds.