Warriors Play First Game In New Short-Sleeve Jerseys; Debut Receives Mixed Reaction

The Warriors on Friday made "a fashion statement" in the game against the Spurs by "wearing the NBA's first-ever short-sleeve jersey," according to Mark Jones of ESPN. The Warriors were "nattily attired," with their shorts featuring "pinstripes." Jones: "The only thing missing right now are the pleats on the shorts." Chris Mullin said, "They're okay. If the guys shoot well and play well they're going to have no complaints. If someone has a bad night, it's going to be the shirt." Mullin said it is "not a big adjustment" wearing the new jerseys. Warriors coach Mark Jackson during a timeout spoke to the players about going after a loose ball, "Somebody in these beautiful yellow jerseys got to get that basketball." Mullin: "He makes it sound like he actually likes (the jerseys)." Bill Simmons said of the Warriors' low-scoring first half, "We know why it's happening. Those uniforms. Those teams don't know if they're playing in the NBA game right now, they don't know what they're doing." Magic Johnson said of the jerseys, "Yuck." Michael Wilbon said of the team's poor shooting during the game: "If they continue to shoot this percentage in Oakland, the Warriors are not going to want to wear these" ("Spurs-Warriors," ESPN, 2/22). ESPN.com's Paul Lukas said of the Warriors' jerseys, "I thought all along they looked good. I kind of dig the sleeves, personally. I think it opens up more possibilities for basketball design because the real problem with basketball uniform design is there is so little real estate to work with." In N.Y., Benjamin Hoffman wrote the jerseys offer "a product to sell to fans who would otherwise be unlikely to buy a basketball jersey" (NYTIMES.com, 2/23).

TWITTER REAX: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area's Ric Bucher wrote based on initial reactions to the jerseys, "their fate appears similar to the new-age ball the NBA tried to introduce for the 2006-07 season." Bucher: "I'm all for innovation and change and advances in technology, but as any baller will tell you, the $%^& has to look right, more so in hoops than any other sport since the cameras and fans are so close and the uniforms have less to them than any other sport." ESPN's J.A. Adande: "I like the Warriors sleeved jerseys. Not so much for the players, but because it will be the 1st authentic jersey that looks good on fans." Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears tweeted, "Thought the Warriors uniforms were too tight and worst before waking to NFL OL prospects running in embarrassing tightness. Please stop it."