The NBA might ditch those ugly sleeved jerseys because players hate them so much
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The only thing in the NBA worse than Birdman's tattoos are the new sleeved jerseys the league is so keen on. From a business perspective, the NBA understandably has good reason to roll out and hype new swag, since more products mean more sales. But from an aesthetic perspective, there's no reason the league should want to clothe its players in rec league knockoffs.
So it's welcome news that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in an interview with Bleacher Report, says the league will consider dumping the sleeved monstrosities if there's enough pushback from the players.
"Ultimately, if the players don't like them, we'll move on to something else," Silver told Bleacher Report. "I don't regret doing it for this season. But it's intended to be something fun for the fans and the players. And if it becomes a serious issue, as to whether players should be wearing sleeves, we'll likely move onto other things." [Bleacher Report]
Silver is set to meet with LeBron James to discuss, among other things, the sleeved/sleeveless issue. Earlier this month, James criticized the jerseys for hindering his shot, saying the sleeves were "definitely not a good thing."
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Don't get too excited just yet about traditional jerseys winning out though: The "something else" Silver is talking about just might be uniforms festooned with corporate logos.
