A breakdown of Portland Trail Blazers jerseys and kits
Every so often, the Portland Trail Blazers introduce new jerseys and uniforms. Every year, they and new NBA sponsor Nike unveil a “City Edition.” Did you know each jersey worn by the team has a name?
Prior to when Nike took over the NBA jersey and apparel from Adidas in 2017, the Blazers’ white jersey was technically known as “the home jersey,” while their black one was worn primarily on the road. And in the 2010s, they introduced their red kits known as “alternates.” Once Nike took over, there were no longer home and away jerseys. They are all classified and named.
Association:
What would be seen as today’s home jerseys, the Association kit is now seen and worn frequently during both home and away games. It is currently the only one with the team name itself displayed on it and includes the famous sash in red and black as seen by Jusuf Nurkić above.
Icon:
The “Icon” jersey was the jersey formerly known as the away black jersey. The Icon and Association are the jerseys you will see the most frequent throughout the season. It has Portland displayed on the front of it, to identify the team, as well as the sash in red and white down the front side.
Statement:
The red Statement jersey was once known as the alternate. Prior to Nike taking over, this jersey was worn occasionally, usually during road trips. It is seen now off and on throughout the season. It features Portland in white writing on the front with white and black traced numbers, along with what appears to be tire tracks down the front side which could be representing the sash.
City:
This is the one that changes every season. It primarily has “Rip City” written on the front, the nickname given to the team by founding announcer Bill Schonley in 1970. The color of this jersey is what changes each season, but for the most part, it remains as Rip City. Although, during the 2020-2021 NBA campaign, the team wore “Oregon jerseys”, calling them “The Spirit of Oregon.” According to the Blazers, it was meant to recognize the special beauty of the State of Oregon, while honoring the history of the indigenous people of the state. The main color of this one was brown.
Currently, they are wearing one that is a tribute to Rip City’s best moments in honor of the NBA’s 75th season. It is black and red with the writing of the player’s name on the back in the same style as the 1977 jersey. There are leaks via the site sportslogos.net on what the 2022-2023 City jersey could look like. From what is seen in the link, they appear to replicate the print of Portland International Airport’s famous carpet with the airport and city code listed on the front.
Other styles and names:
Classic – worn during their 50th Anniversary season replicating those worn from 1974-1977 Earned – given to the teams who made the playoffs the previous season as sort of a reward
If you would like to see what the Blazers will be wearing each game night or would like to match your color to the jersey worn, check out the NBA’s Lockervision. It has a daily schedule of not only what Portland will be wearing, but every NBA team.