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Brooklyn Nets’ homage to New Jersey official with City Edition announcement

ByMike Luciano|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 31: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 31: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets have accomplished plenty during their short stint in New York City, but that shouldn’t necessarily erase the decades of success they had in New Jersey. From Brendan Byrne Arena to the IZOD Center, the Nets have plenty of history that should not be discarded.

The Nets were ABA innovators, one of the most underrated teams in the Jordan-dominated 1990s, and winners of two consecutive Eastern Conference championships thanks to Jason Kidd and company. It’s nice to see those teams get honored by the modern squad.

The Nets have always been a very fashion-conscious team, as their new black and white colorway after the Brooklyn move was likely done to be cool, minimalist, and modern. While their latest uniform is a bit more colorful and outrageous, it stands out as one of the best alternate uniforms that have been unveiled so far this season.

The Nets honored the forerunners that came before them with this new City Edition set, officially announced on Monday. Not only did they manage to combine the Drazen Petrovic-era wordmark across the front along with the early 2000s color scheme and piping down the side, but they featured all eight logos on the bottom left part of the jersey. Simply sublime.

The Brooklyn Nets unveiled a new City Edition jersey.

The NBA is clearly leaning on a “Mixtape” theme for their 75th Anniversary, as several teams are mashing elements of jerseys across the decades. The Nets went above and beyond in adhering to that theme, as the amount of detail involved in this jersey is staggering.

In addition to an alternate logo that puts the current “B” basketball logo in the old school, backboard and hoop creation from the New Jersey days, the Nets remixed their traditional logo from back when they first transitioned from the ABA to the NBA, swapping out a map of New Jersey for a map of Brooklyn. Nice touch.

While they have had some missteps in the past (looking at you, Brooklyn Bridge-inspired jersey), this team has had a history of unveiling some really impressive City Edition jerseys.

Their Jean-Michel Basquiat jerseys from last year made frequent appearances, and their Biggie Smalls-inspired Coogi uniforms were so popular the Nets even made a white alternate the following year that paid homage to Bedford-Stuyvesant.

While the Nets may be in Brooklyn, a large chunk of this fanbase remains in New Jersey, and it’s nice to see the team not only acknowledge the fans that they have across state lines, but lean into their nostalgia with some nice new threats.

However, we’re not at a Paris fashion show, and Brooklyn needs to start reeling off a few victories in these jerseys if they want to have staying power.