One of the best things about the ubiquity of the NCAA Tournament is how it taps into a collective memory that’s shared by a wider set of sports fans than most sporting events. (Speaking of collective memory, vote in our ’90s Sports Moments bracket!)
And yet, every year it seems a college basketball moment we all forgot gets brought back to light, only to be giggled over once again by the likes of us – Like these abominations that NC State players wore in 1989.
Rare game-used example of NC State's infamous 1989 basketball unitard. Looks more like a wrestling uni! pic.twitter.com/NHJas864uG
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) March 18, 2016
Unitards! And if you were wondering if they were skin-tight like real wrestling uniforms, then boy do we have the video for you.
Oh man, there is so much going on here.
“Keeping with the fashion trends,” eh? Was there a unitard fad sweeping the nation that we weren’t aware of? Did they only make the shorts to make the reveal more fun, or were the unitards literally so the players didn’t have to tuck in their shirts? On first viewing, we could have sworn the newscaster was saying that tongue-in-cheek, but now we’re not so sure. And of course, Jimmy Valvano shows up to melt our hearts once again.
No coach in basketball history was more like your favorite uncle who knows all the lame magic tricks to entertain toddlers than Jimmy V, and seeing him capering about in that ridiculous uniform is a heartwarming reminder that he was so much more than the cancer fight that has become his legacy.
Miss you, Jimmy V.
