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PHOTO: 1st look at Toronto-inspired All-Star jerseys

These are pretty sharp.

With the 2015-16 NBA All-Star Game coming to Toronto (Feb. 14), adidas and the NBA have made the choice to make the jerseys for this year’s event represent the city. We got a first look at those jerseys Thursday, with adidas providing a peek.


There’s additional gear coming, too.


Here’s an explanation of the Toronto-centric theme, per a release from the NBA and adidas provided courtesy of SLAM:

The uniforms incorporate elements indigenous to Canada and pay homage to Toronto’s NBA history, passionate basketball fans and cosmopolitan energy.

The red-and-white Western Conference and white-and-blue Eastern Conference uniforms feature a maple leaf overlay on the front of the jerseys as a tribute to the national symbol of Canada, while Toronto’s cityscape is featured across the back to represent the host city. Clean, single-layered fonts are a nod to the NBA’s early days in Toronto, where the first NBA game was played on Nov. 1, 1946, between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers.

A star patch that incorporates the maple leaf and NBA logo is displayed on the upper back of the uniforms, while black-and-gold jock tags display the Toronto Raptors’ alternate team colors and claw logo. Featured on the jersey’s neck liner and shorts’ draw strings is a mosaic of flag colors that represent the multinational makeup of the league’s players.

The NBA All-Stars will sport warm-ups that embrace Toronto’s winter fashion and style. Black and heather gray fleece jackets include star patches that acknowledge the number of NBA All-Star appearances for each player, while patches on the right zipper pocket call out the game’s top accolades, including: Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Star Game MVP and NBA Championships. The on-court warm-ups also include a performance fleece shooting shirt and tapered pant with white and gold trim.

Honestly, consider me all-in. These are great, and I’ve often been of the mind in the past that All-Star jerseys try to do too much. This year’s editions are simple, subtle, and have a clear but unobtrusive nod to the city that shouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of those outside The 6ix.

“The goal here was to reflect the past, but also have something that spoke to the fact cosmopolitan city that Toronto is and bring it into the modern age by telling a team story as well,” a senior director at adidas told ESPN. He also spoke to Sole Shift to explain further:

Also notable is the Kia logo, the first time the NBA will have an ad on an official jersey (the D-League and WNBA do this).

I really like these. The initial response I’m seeing is that I may not be in the majority, but I love the city line, I love the nod to the Huskies and the game’s history in the city, I love the simplicity, I love the maple leaf and claw on the shorts, and the jacket’s a clean look, too (though I’m shocked OVO didn’t push their way into the deal somehow). Thoughts?