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After LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, a new era of Showtime basketball is set to get underway. And with the start of a new era comes new jerseys, which could be inspired by the Lakers’ iconic Showtime threads.
Earlier this month, Nike announced their plans to unveil the Lakers redesigned uniforms on July 30. However, through the power of the internet, we might have already gotten our first look at the new uniforms.
A number of Twitter users spotted new, NBA-branded Lakers merchandise on Fanatics.com featuring LeBron James in a uniform that was different from the one the Lakers wore last year.
Using the leaked merchandise, graphic designer Conrad Burry of sportslogos.net mocked up what the jerseys might look like and they look very similar to the classic Showtime Lakers jerseys.
UPDATE: After seeing the larger images of the gold and white unis on the LeBron items on Fanatics, here's some updated renderings: fixing the # shadow, adding the shorts stripe and fixing the coloration of the collar / armhole / leg hem striping. pic.twitter.com/qSvQkb2pM3
— Conrad Burry (@conradburry) July 11, 2018
The Lakers have been wearing the same (or roughly the same) uniforms since the 1998-99 season. The most drastic change the team made at the time was changing the round collars to the wishbone collars they have today. However, it looks like they’re going back to the round collars and sleeves in their new uniforms.
It also looks like the Lakers are bringing back the drop shadow behind their jersey numbers. Currently, the numbers on the front and back of the jerseys are thinly outlined.
The new design will likely be present on the Lakers’ “Icon” (gold), “Association” (white) and “Statement” (purple) jerseys. Along with their three primary jerseys, the Lakers will also be getting a new “City” jersey, although it’s unknown what these will look like.
According to Conrad Burry, the team’s “City” jersey has already been designed. Last season, the “City” jersey was inspired by Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers haven’t played a game in their new uniforms yet, but you can bet they’re going to be flying off of shelves when they’re released later this month. You can pre-order the new jersey online right now at Nike.com.
You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.