The Charlotte Hornets are going back to their roots with their latest uniform design. The team announced its Classic uniform look on Wednesday, part of the updated uniform scheme the NBA is taking on this season. The Classic look is meant to be a celebration of a franchise’s earlier iterations, and Jordan Brand went with Charlotte’s roots with the look.
Back is the pinstriped teal design that the team wore from is inception in 1988 until 1997. It comes with a heavy dose of teal, which you’re now old enough to remember as a throwback and not the debut colors of a new NBA franchise.
“Since we brought the Hornets name back in 2014, our fans have practically been begging for us to wear a version of the original Hornets uniform,” Hornets president Fred Whitfield said in a release. “We could not be more excited to give them what they want and to see the historic pinstriped, teal Charlotte uniform back on an NBA court.”
Charlotte announced the look with a post on the team’s website, but seeing is believing when it comes to uniform design.
Charlotte Hornets announce classic uniform set. 😍 pic.twitter.com/qxs2LfxBwF
— At The Hive (@At_The_Hive) September 13, 2017
The Hornets will wear their Classic uniforms three times at home this season: Hornets will wear the Classic edition uniforms for three home games during the 2017-18 season: November 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, December 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks and January 13 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s a crisp look, all in all. Team still works on a basketball jersey, and Jordan Brand did good work here to bring a classic piping up to modern style elements. It also is a respectful homage to the original work.
Designed by Alexander Julian, the original Hornets uniforms were an immediate success and remain popular today, more than 20 years since they were last worn on the court. The teal uniform became one of the favorite jerseys for basketball fans around the world and began a color trend that resonated throughout professional sports.
The Hornets were part of a teal revolution in sports that saw the color permeate plenty of franchises in the 1990s. The San Jose Sharks and Jacksonville Jaguars also embraced the look they’re celebrating here. I’m sure it will be a popular jersey choice when the look hits retail stores in November.
