Menu
Franchises

Hornets Go Contemporary, Clean With New Uniforms; Initial Reception Is Positive

Hornets execs on Thursday said that the final designs for the team's newly unveiled uniforms "paid tribute" to the original uniforms designed by Alexander Julian, while "adding a contemporary spin," according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. The NBA "requires all teams to update uniforms even if the change involves a past design, meaning the Hornets couldn’t have used the old ones even if they wanted to." Pre-orders for the new jerseys "start in late August, and authentic jerseys will arrive in stores and be shipped to fans starting a month later." Like the original jerseys, the new ones "feature V-necks, but the overlay is a solid color instead of the earlier stripes." The new home whites and road purples spell out Hornets across the chest, while an alternate uniform with an all-teal base "pays tribute to the originals with 'Charlotte' on the chest." So-called "tonal accents, muted lettering on the lower right portion of the shorts, includes the word 'Charlotte' on the home and away uniforms and 'Hornets' on the alternate." The new design "clusters the striping along the left side only." Shorts also "include a silhouette Hornets logo on the waistband and a cell pattern on the bottom left leg with a secondary or alternate logo." Black, gray and light blue "are used as accent colors in the new uniforms" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/19). In Charlotte, Rick Bonnell wonders what Hornets Owner Michael Jordan's "input in the process" was. Hornets Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Pete Guelli: "He wanted something high-performance. Something our players would be proud to wear." Senior VP/Marketing Seth Bennett said that the priority was "a look the team could use for many years." He added, "We didn’t want to be trendy; we didn’t want to be loud. I think this connects the two eras" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/20).

TEAL OR NO TEAL? In Charlotte, Scott Fowler noted the Hornets will wear their teal alternate uniforms "16-20 times a year, they say -- possibly more at home than on the road." None of the three uniforms "have the characteristic pinstripes coming down the front of the jersey that the originals had," which is "a lost opportunity." But the lettering "looks good and the overall look is crisp and uncluttered." While "none of the Hornets' new uniforms are bad by any means," the white home jerseys are "the weakest of the three" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/20). But ESPN.com's Paul Lukas gave the white home uniforms an "A" grade. He wrote there is "a lot to like," as the lettering and numbering "feel balanced and properly sized, the pinstripes down the left side (which is not repeated on the right) adds a nice bit of pizzazz, and the crossover collar is a nice nod to the original Hornets uni." If the team is "smart enough to leave this alone, it has a chance to become a modern classic." Lukas gave the purple road uniforms a "B-minus" grade and wrote it has the "same basic template" as the home whites, but "it doesn't work as well with this color treatment." Lukas also gave the teal alternate uniforms a "B-minus" (ESPN.com, 6/19).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/06/20/Franchises/Hornets-Unis.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/06/20/Franchises/Hornets-Unis.aspx

CLOSE