Sixers

How Do We Feel About the Sixers’ New Black Uniforms?

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 10th, 2020 · 9:36 AM EST

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The Sixers finally brought back the black jerseys, sort of.

We all thought they might throw it back to the Allen Iverson days with a 2001 redux, but instead this season’s City Edition jerseys and on-court branding will look like this, photos courtesy of Zach Lowe and ESPN:

That’s pretty cool. Boathouse Row with the white outline.

You can even see “TTP” snuck into the design right above “PHILADELPHIA” on bot the front and the back of the uniforms:

Ben Simmons threw in a TTP in the middle of the new Sixers jerseys. #TrustTheProcess

Cc: @RTRSPodcast @SpikeEskin @Michael_Levin pic.twitter.com/60xBxdpVqp

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) November 10, 2020

At ESPN, they explain that Simmons was a big influence in the jersey design and had been pushing for the black uniforms since joining the team back in 2016:

Ben Simmons was wrapping his first month as an active NBA player when he asked Philadelphia 76ers equipment manager Scott Rego who picked out the team’s jerseys — and why the Sixers never wore black anymore. Simmons grew up in Australia with a poster of Allen Iverson wearing the black, red and gold uniforms the Sixers used for the better part of a decade — including their run to the Finals in 2001. Simmons wanted to wear them too.

Rego told Simmons to take it up with Chris Heck, the team’s president. Heck has lived in Philadelphia for more than 30 years. He loved almost everything about the Iverson era.

….

“I took it upon myself to bring back the black jersey,” Simmons told ESPN over email.

After that locker room tip from Rego, Simmons tweeted the idea at Heck — a clever way of getting the public on his side. (The tweet has since been deleted.) Heck replied that Simmons could help design a future uniform if he won Rookie of the Year. He did.

Interestingly enough, ESPN notes that the Sixers will build “an accompanying court,” which they describe as a challenge because they can’t store it at the Wells Fargo Center. They’re gonna have to store it off site, which seems like a huge pain in the ass.

But I kind of dig these. I can see how the “PHILADELPHIA” lettering might look clustered as it sits right below the Boathouse Row outline, but they’re creative, they bring back the black color, and they’re consistent with recent branding as well. I think we typically complain about new uniforms at the offset, then we warm up to the idea and end up buying them.

EDIT –

Here’s an accompanying hype video:

2020-21 City Edition

𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

Presented by @StubHub pic.twitter.com/nyE3gIuyZc

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 10, 2020