New Uniforms, New Era?

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

After announcing they were coming earlier in 2015, the Sixers finally unveiled their new uniform designs to a voracious public Thursday evening at the ‘Ubiquitous Bank’ Center. For all the doubters out there who say Philadelphia isn’t a professional basketball town, I’d like to point out that thousands of fans were in attendance just to get a first glimpse in person of what the team would be wearing this season (not to mention the countless throngs on social media eagerly awaiting the unveil as well).

Such excitement shows that even amidst the valleys of a long rebuild, fans here in Philadelphia are hungry for a winner and willing to show their support. Hopefully, these new uniforms represent a new era for the Sixers, and we can look back on next week’s draft as a turning point when the team began shifting from dormant, sometime-laughingstock, to eventual contender.

New #sixers jerseys pic.twitter.com/MMl0NG9dNO

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) June 18, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAs for the uniforms themselves, there had been enough hints dropped over the last few months that we basically knew what to expect. Generally though, I like them. The team went with a simple, clean design, and with such a classic red, white, and blue color scheme, there’s really no need to mess around with it. I love the stars and stripes on the side panels, which feature 7 stars on one side and 6 on the other (also subtextually hinting at the stars Sam Hinkie hopes to acquire through the draft). The one feature I thought looks weird is the 13-star secondary logo at the center of the waist on the shorts; it kind of looks like a bulls-eye to the baby-making region (maybe that was Chocolate Thunder’s suggestion?).

#MadeInPHILA pic.twitter.com/nhL6AFuL7n — Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) June 19, 2015

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I also found it interesting that Jerami Grant was the third Sixer alongside Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid to model the new jersey in the promotional photos. It’s either great for him that he’s risen to such esteem in the eyes of the organization, or terrible because it means he’s about to be traded like Michael Carter-Williams was immediately after the This. Starts. Now. promotion unveiling. You never really know with Hinkie.

All in all, reaction was generally positive and with the Clippers logo unveiling the same day being such a disaster, it was encouraging to see such a professionally-done product emerge in Philadelphia. When it boils down to it though, the NBA isn’t a fashion show, it’s a competition. Let’s hope that not only will the Sixers look good on the court, but before long, they look good on the scoreboard as well.

Squad. #PHILAtough #MadeInPHILA pic.twitter.com/kSckX87fo1

— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) June 19, 2015

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What do you think of the new uniforms? Which of the three versions is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.