Uni Watch: Ranking the NBA's holiday showcase
— --
The NBA has five games slated for Dec. 25, and the 10 teams playing that day will be wearing special Christmas uniforms for the occasion. This year's Christmas threads are very similar to last year's, but in the past the NBA has taken a wide variety of Yuletide-themed approaches to its Christmas Day uniforms. Here's a ranking of how they've stacked up, from best to worst:
1. 2015
Last year's Christmas uniforms featured classy-looking scripts (based on vintage holiday cards) and lots of off-white tones (maybe based on, uh, eggnog?). The resulting visual effect was a winner, which may explain why the scripts have been carried over to this year's Christmas designs.
2. 2007-10
Before the NBA started trotting out new uniforms each holiday season, league officials tried to take advantage of game matchups that allowed for green-versus-red uniform pairings -- a very simple approach that worked really well. Also: Beginning in 2008, the NBA logo, which appeared on the front of each jersey in those days, was outlined in a snazzy snowflake pattern.
3. 2014
The Christmas Day uniforms in 2014 featured simplified jerseys with team logos on the front -- not bad. There was one regrettable gimmick: The players wore their first names, instead of their surnames, on the backs of the jerseys, and the names were positioned below the numbers on contrast-colored panels, all of which looked a bit junior high. Still, if you focused on the front of the uniforms, this was one of the more watchable looks in recent NBA Christmas history.
4. Everything up through 2006
Yes, Virginia, there was once a time when the NBA didn't do anything special for Christmas. The teams just wore their standard uniforms, just like they would on any other day. That may seem like an unimaginative approach to the holiday, but it's a lot better than some of what we've seen in recent years.
5. 2012
This was the year that the NBA and Adidas began creating new uniforms for the holiday. Their first attempt was called "Big Color," and it was a bust. The uniforms featured outlined tone-on-tone lettering and numbering that was difficult to read for fans and broadcasters alike. An instant classic in the "What were they thinking?" category.
6. 2013
After "Big Color," the NBA and Adidas followed up with "Big Logo." Most fans agreed that it was a big mistake, with the players wearing sleeved jerseys that looked more like glorified T-shirts, or maybe soccer jerseys -- the uniform equivalent of getting a lump of coal on Christmas Day.
And there you have it. As for this year's designs, they're not bad, although they feel like a slightly less satisfying version of last year's.
It's worth noting that this will be the NBA's last Christmas Day under the league's contract with Adidas, which expires at the end of this season. Next year we'll get to see Nike's approach to the holiday. The league will also be allowing teams to sell corporate ad patches on their jerseys next season, which may provide an additional Christmas wrinkle. We'll have to wait and see whether it turns out to be naughty or nice.
Paul Lukas wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and a prosperous new year. If you like this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here.
Related Stories
ABC News Live