Nike Will Replace Adidas As The NBA’s Official Apparel Sponsor

Back in 2003 I started working for Nike. One of the biggest fashion statements of the moment was throwback jerseys. Nike’s swingman jerseys were some of the bests, and even created the fad of making high school throwbacks for certain players.

Soon after that, Jay Z told everyone to “Change Clothes” and ditch the throwbacks for button ups, and Adidas took over the contract for NBA uniforms. This week it was announced that after an 11 year hiatus, Nike will be the NBA ‘s official sponsor beginning in the 2017-2018 season.

Nike will pay the NBA $125 million annually to supply the uniforms, which is more than double what Adidas was paying.

“This partnership with Nike represents a new paradigm in the structure of our global merchandising business,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a released statement.  “As our exclusive on court apparel provider, Nike will be instrumental in our collective efforts to grow the game globally while applying the latest in technology to the design of our uniforms and on court products.”

That high price tag likely has something to do with why Adidas dropped out. Hopefully Nike will ditch those ugly short-sleeved jerseys.