Ahead of their matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow, the Phoenix Suns unveiled new alternate uniforms with a throwback feel that not everyone will appreciate. According to NBA.com, the new design is called "PHX Rising," with colors and lettering that "honors this team’s storied past and bright future."
Uniform designer Greg Fisher said that "one of the things we were trying to do is make sure all the uniforms we’re building have some sort of legacy to the history of the Phoenix Suns." The lettering mimics one of the team's first jerseys from 1973-1992, and the colors are all symbolic of the mythical bird theme. "The black, orange and grey palette symbolizes the ash, smoke and embers of the mythological bird," explained Fisher.
Here is an up close look at the @Suns PRIDE uniform that we will be wearing tomorrow night. #PHXRising pic.twitter.com/FTLhc5rJOR
— Jay Gaspar (@PHXJGaspar) February 25, 2015In the comment section of the NBA.com blog post, a fan brought up the fact that purple is absent is from the jerseys and that the Suns should "officially phase out" the color, to which the team responded "Purple isn't going anywhere. It is a part of our past, present and future. This is just a nice variation and a nod to the past with the western font and sun burst."
The uniforms aren't that spectacular, but they would be better if they didn't have sleeves. NBA players and coaches have openly criticized jerseys with sleeves and they haven't been selling well, but the league hasn't made the decision to get rid of them yet. Commissioner Adam Silver told Bleacher Report last March that "if the players don’t like them, we’ll move on to something else...I don’t regret doing it for this season. But it’s intended to be something fun for the fans and the players. And if it becomes a serious issue, as to whether players should be wearing sleeves, we’ll likely move onto other things."
Hopefully these will be the last new uniforms to have them.
[via NBA.com]
