Hornets City Edition uniforms are a reference to 1988 that longtime fans may appreciate
Excuse Seth Bennett if he was a little skittish Monday morning.
The Charlotte Hornets’ longtime senior vice president of consumer engagement was sweating because, along with the rest of the teams in the NBA, the Hornets unveiled their City Edition uniforms. The anxiousness had him refreshing plenty of popular apps and websites. One image — whether it’s accidental or done on purpose — could have ruined everything.
“Every time you open up your social media, you’re wondering, ‘Hey, did it get leaked today, will people understand the story?’ ” Bennett said. “Because often if you see it and you don’t have the benefit of understanding what the inspiration was, it doesn’t connect.
“Last year’s uniform was very important to that. We had never used that (mint green) color before and if we weren’t able to tell that story, then I’m not sure fans really get it. And now they are excited about it. So that absolutely is more of a challenge than coming up with ideas, is being able to keep it tight for a number of years on some occasions.”
But the secret is finally out and Bennett can take a couple of deep breaths.
(Scroll to the bottom of this story to see a gallery of the team’s new uniform.)
In conjunction with the NBA’s season-long 75th anniversary celebration, the Hornets are using their City Edition uniforms to pay homage to the franchise’s early days. The jersey features a variety of throwback elements utilized in previous uniforms, coupled with new characteristics to paint a visual picture of the team’s evolution since its inception in 1988.
The City Edition uniforms will be worn 17 times this season, beginning with the Hornets’ Nov. 12 date against New York. That is the first of eight scheduled home games they are going to sport the special garb, with the remainder of the occasions occurring on the road.
Design-wise, they are inspired by the visuals of some of the team’s most iconic memories. Pinstripes and everything in between.
“It’s like a Christmas or a birthday when you are unwrapping a gift,” Bennett said, “and you want to see what all your friends think about the gifts that you got. ‘Look what I’ve got,’ you know? So we’ll be anticipating what our fans might feel. We always try to keep a good pulse of where we are, so we are pretty confident that they are going like this and it’s just going to be a matter of to what degree.”
Particularly once fans feast their eyes on the city’s name written in script across the chest, something that’s never occurred in all the uniform variations over the past three decades. Directly plucked from the pennant hanging in the background when the team’s original uniforms debuted in 1988, the emblem spelling out where the team is located is a favorite of the Hornets’ resident fashion expert.
“I like the little cursive on the front with the number below if that it’s got,” LaMelo Ball told The Observer. “I heard they go from old school to new school. The logo on the side is smooth. The logo is smooth. I like them for real. They’re tough.
“I love the new stuff for real. New uniforms, new swag, new everything. It’s dope.”
As if the new look isn’t enough to get a rise out of nostalgic fans, this other nugget should: When the team wears the uniform, the Hornets are trotting out the “classic” court they used for select games from 2018-2020 as part of their “Hive 75 Nights.” Based on the design of the floor at Charlotte Coliseum, they also added the words “Est. 1988” to the midcourt out-of-bounds area opposite the team’s benches to make it pop even more.
The court is going to be decommissioned from service upon its use in the Hornets’ March 25 matchup against Utah, only to be seen again in the future if the team gets permission from the league to include it as part of an anniversary celebration. The Hornets hope to bring it back at some point years from now, but it won’t be in service any time soon.
They wanted to incorporate it into this season’s celebrations to take the atmosphere to another level.
“That completes it in my opinion,” Bennett said. “Being able to put that court (out) and compare it and tell the story authentically throughout the fan experience. So when they come into Spectrum Center for that first game on Nov. 12, there’s a certain factor. You just have to be able to feel not only aesthetically what they are going to see, but even feel in and around that game.
“And hopefully they feel that, ‘Hey I’m here on a really special occasion.’ We want to try to create as many unique occasions for our fans as possible. Forty-one games and trying to keep that same level of energy, or as J.B. (coach James Borrego) would say ‘juice,’ you have to find different ways to do that.”
The City Edition uniforms are the latest attempt.
“I know fans who literally have dozens of jerseys that hang in their closets,” Bennett said. “And to think that someone will think enough of this edition that they will want to own it and make it a part of their collection, it really kind of validates it from that kind of standpoint. And for me, as I look back on the uniforms I’ve been a part of — we are probably approaching a good half-dozen over my 16 years — that people are going to hold on to and say, ‘Hey this is really cool and special.’ And I’m excited about what the future aspects are going to be as well.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Hornets City Edition uniforms are a reference to 1988 that longtime fans may appreciate."
