Jordan Brand officially unveiled the jerseys for the 2018 NBA All-Star game at its Future of Flight event in Los Angeles and some fans were disappointed with the simple black and white design.
Nike and Jordan Brand took over for Adidas as the official uniform supplier of the NBA last summer, and with a reputation as strong as Jordan Brand's some were simply expecting more.
NBA All-Star jerseys look like TJ Maxx clearance rack specials pic.twitter.com/Mg8d448hZV
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 26, 2018
Not everyone was disappointed though, I mean Magic Johnson came to their defense. Take that with a grain of salt though. Listen, you got to put some respeck on his name, but Magic is 58. You have to consider the particular amount of washedness that comes with being two years shy of 60.
TNT just unveiled the new All-Star jerseys and Michael Jordan and the Jumpman brand brought the heat this year!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 26, 2018
Still, as mixed as the initial reactions were, if you go to Nike's store to buy, say a James Harden All-Star jersey, you'll be met with a "the product you are looking for is no longer available," while clicking on other jerseys might take you to a broken page. Nike is either having issues with its site or people are buying all those "TJ Maxx clearance rack specials."
In an interview at CBS Studios in LA, Jordan Brand president Larry Miller, defended simplifying the design.
"What are colors that we know are going to connect with consumers? Black and white are always going to connect as stylish colors," He said. "We also thought that created an opportunity for the shoes to pop. The uniforms are black and white and every year the [All-Star] shoes are a little out there [color-wise]. From a fashion perspective, we just thought black and white was the right way to make our introduction. The response has been pretty good, and I think on the court it's going to look really good."
Jordan Brand also told Sports Illustrated that the black and white designs will serve as a foil to the players' All-Star shoes and will also be easier for consumers to wear.
"We wanted to make sure we had a clear team concept [for fans of the team] with the logos while also making sure the jersey could be repped off the court," Jordan designer David Creech told SI. "We used wearable colors from culture like black and white to expand to more fans because some colors of some [team] jerseys are tougher to wear."
Jordan Brand also highlighted some other products at its Future of Flight, including: Air Jordan III Black Cement; Air Jordan III White Cement NRG; Air Jordan III Tinker; Air Jordan III Flyknit; the City of Flight Collection; Jordan Women's; Russell Westbrook's Why Not Zer0.1; Air Jordan XXXII.
Browse through the photos above for a look at some of the products Jordan Brand revealed at its Future of Flight event in Los Angeles.