We’ve documented it on Belly Up before, specifically when the games were announced, but the NBA on Christmas Day has become a true familial tradition. Eggnog and roundball go together on Christmas like turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving. Christmas Eve is for family time, morning is for the kids, but Christmas afternoon and evening? That’s for a slate of five NBA games on national television. This year as the day goes on, and the eggnog gets darker, the games continue to get better. A day that begins with New Orleans vs. Miami ends with a playoff rematch in Denver vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. What could make it better?
Simple: Christmas Day Uniforms.
It’s not to badmouth Nike as a league sponsor, by and large, the league looks cooler than it did in 2016-17. But they’ve dropped the ornamental ball here since they took over the league in the 2017-18 season. For more than a decade prior, Adidas and Reebok used the Christmas Day spotlight as a chance to showcase weird, fun, and season-specific uniforms. Some were more successful than others, but one thing is clear: Adidas and the NBA had the holiday cheer that Nike is lacking.
Nike is usually a company that never misses a major marketing opportunity, but this feels like they’ve missed a major marketing opportunity. This year was perfectly set up for a new slew of uniforms, it would be another thing to sell, and it would be a way to make COVID Christmas feel unique again.
It Was Perfectly Set Up
The real shame in Nike not going with special Christmas Day uniforms is that this was a great year for uniform pairs. The opening game, Pelicans vs. Heat, would have been a great chance for some Mardi Gras green opposite some red hot Heat. The mid-afternoon game could have had a white and blue Warriors uniform opposite some green and red Bucks throwback-esque uniforms. The Brooklyn Nets could have gone with some all snow-white uniforms, complete with red trim from throwback themes, opposite a special green and white design for Boston. The Dallas Mavs could have brought back the throwback greens, but the more fun thing would have been a special blue and white holiday uniform. Then the Lakers could have gotten the same all-white specials that Kobe Bryant himself used to rock. The night would have ended with snowy mountain themes for the Denver Nuggets opposite the LA Clippers in some bright, shiny red threads.
There would be no need for weird, green Knicks uniforms of the past. Each team had colors that would be fun on a tacky-sweater themed uniform. Warm-up jackets could have been some mixture of St. Nick, the Grinch, and the snowy holiday season.
In years past, Adidas forced things like Knicks orange and Phoenix purple down the throats of festive folks. Now, when the color schemes lineup perfectly for Nike, they can’t do it?
It Would Have Been Another Thing for the NBA to Sell
COVID has hit every business. The NBA and Nike are not immune to it. This would have absolutely been another series of swag for the NBA and Nike to sell, around the holidays, and make more money. In the commercialized holiday season, what would be better than opening a brand new jersey that matches the special, unique one your favorite player is wearing on TV? And if you gave it a tacky sweater theme, wear it every year! (And if your favorite player gets traded or asks to leave? Get another special holiday one next year!)
Moreover, 11 of the 15 highest selling NBA jerseys and seven of the ten highest selling teams from last year are players currently playing on Christmas Day. That means the NBA has already sold those jerseys. People own them. But, people don’t own a special Christmas Tacky Sweater-themed jersey, warm-up, sweatpants, etc. from these players and teams. Sure, you got the Giannis jersey a year ago, but now you can get the special Christmas Giannis jersey to match him on Christmas day. If you think Eastern Europe ate up the Luka Doncic jerseys over the last two seasons, imagine if they got to order one to match the wintery bliss that is Eastern Europe in December?
Adidas ran with this idea with the Miami Heatles. The LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh Heat wore over a dozen different jerseys over the course of their four years together. They all sold well, including the special Christmas Day jerseys. When has Nike ever missed a chance to make a sale?
It Makes Christmas Feel Like Christmas Again
Again, we all have worked the NBA on Christmas Day into our holiday tradition. Sitting in a recliner with a cup full of eggnog, and staring blissfully into the TV screen while family talks all around you have become a new norm. You wear your nice sweater, you eat the honey baked ham, and you ignore everything to stare at the TV.
But now, we’re all at home quarantining. COVID has us all staying at home and watching a lot of TV, all of the time. What can make our (relatively) isolated holidays feel more like the holidays of the past? Some new, fun, interesting Christmas Day jerseys.
We remember the snow-white script across the Warriors and Cavs jerseys in 2016. We joke about the tee-shirt jerseys of 2013. The first name phenomenon of 2014, the monotones of 2012… But now? Much like how we can sit in front of our TV with a homemade beverage, without a bunch of people around, on any given day… Now we get the same slew of alternates the franchises can wear on any given game day.
Nike needed to help raise the Christmas spirit and bring back Christmas Day NBA uniforms. This one’s on you, Swoosh.
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