Nike's new NBA uniform lighter than previous versions

ByDARREN ROVELL
July 18, 2017, 12:15 PM

— -- Nike, set to take over as the NBA's official apparel provider this coming season, rolled out a first look of the new jersey Tuesday.

The company says the jersey, which is a modification of those worn at the 2016 Olympics by Team USA, is lighter than previous NBA jerseys and more flexible, better designed to move with the player.

Other changes include a stitched logo, which raise it off the jersey, bigger armholes and tweaked collar shape.

Nike said the new jerseys will partly be made out of recycled plastic bottles. It added that sweat on the new version of the jersey will dry 15 percent faster than it does on the current jersey.

As part of the new deal, which officially begins in Oct. 1, teams do not have to stick to the traditional white home jersey. They have the option to choose another color as default home uniform. Nike is also promising an additional jersey that will be inspired by the city the team plays in.

The new jerseys have a raised Nike swoosh, which will be on retail versions. Nine teams have struck deals to put a corporate logo on their uniforms. Those logos will not appear on jerseys sold by national retailers, but the teams themselves can offer to sell the jerseys with ad patches to fans.