The Brooklyn Nets might be planning some New Jersey-inspired new jerseys.
The Brooklyn Nets have spent the past eight years in Brooklyn trying to figure out their identity as a franchise.
They’ve melded to the Brooklyn way and dived deep into highlighting Brooklyn culture, representing Brooklyn on and off the court.
Now, it appears the Nets are looking back towards their New Jersey roots to bring back a retro jersey. On Sept. 30, tweets surfaced spreading rumors of a new uniform that paid homage to the Drazen Petrovic Nets of the 1990s.
The #Nets will have a classic jersey inspired by the Petrovic era. #NBA https://t.co/2RhQYQdgVE
— Etienne Catalan (@EtienneCatalan) September 30, 2020
These jerseys would be the first to pay homage to the Nets’ time in New Jersey during their tenure in Brooklyn.
The team has not confirmed the uniforms just yet, but there is mounting evidence to support their existence. For starters, Dick’s Sporting Goods has started selling the Kyrie Irving retro jersey, and it is awesome.
A Kyrie Irving edition of the Nets Hardwood Classic Jersey is now being sold at @DICKS
— Jared Gaon (@JaredGaon) October 4, 2020
Safe to assume the Nets will be rocking a pretty cool alternative uniform next season pic.twitter.com/mrnJDNXc2v
Recently, the Nets (and the Brooklyn Nets Swag Shop) have been selling merchandise from this era — most prominently, a retro jacket that sports this style. There are other more expensive shirts and hoodies that feature this logo.
Then, this photo surfaced of Nike-branded shirts featuring the logo.
I’m over at the mall and saw the throwback Nets logo shirt being sold Please tell me this is gonna be an alternate jersey @BrooklynNets !!! pic.twitter.com/OAirnS9xKT
— Ref Ryan T (@refryant) October 5, 2020
It seems more likely than not that these jerseys will be worn during the 2020-2021 season. And I’m super excited for it. The Nets haven’t embraced their New Jersey history during their time in Brooklyn. That’s a state and a people that gave their heart to this organization for 35 years.
Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily wrote back in April that the Nets are looking to revitalize their New Jersey fan base. Owners Joe and Clara Tsai, as well as newly appointed CEO John Abbamondi, think there’s traction to bring back the fans from New Jersey. Especially now, with the team looking like a real contender in the East, it’s time to fill the seats in Barclays. The Tsais see that, and are doing the best they can to fill the arena (if allowed) for the upcoming season.
Back in June, I wrote a piece challenging the Nets to spice up the in-game experience at Barclays Center. They must be listening to me. Dipping into their New Jersey roots is definitely a step in the right direction. The moment the Tsais mix what the Nets had in Jersey with the Brooklyn culture, the Barclays Center will be the premier spot for NBA games. But, for now, we can look forward to these new jerseys during this long offseason. And, wow, they’re cool.

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