Tayshaun Prince will be wearing a jersey resembling the Pistons’ 1957-58 uniforms on Friday when the Pistons host the Chicago Bulls at The Palace. In fact, all of the Pistons will be wearing the throwbacks - and so could you.
1957-58 throwback jerseys for Prince, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton will be on sale at The Palace Locker Room Store beginning Friday. They also will be available online at www.palacelockerroomstore.com as soon as next week.
The 1957 threads are made possible by the NBA’s “Hardwood Classics” program, which puts the Pistons in some exclusive company, said Larry Morris, the Palace’s director of retail operations.
“This year, the NBA changed the program so that to be a “Hardwood Classics” team, they decided to go only with the teams that had won a championship,” Morris said. “And we’ve won three, which puts us pretty high on the list.”
And that’s why for as popular as the current Pistons are, their throwback jerseys might not be the hottest retro item this holiday season. That distinction would go to the 1989-90 throwback jerseys of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.
“If I had to go by customer request, it’s going to be Isiah or Dumars” selling the most, Morris said. The Palace Locker Room Store has offered authentic Isiah and Dumars throwbacks previously - custom-made at the price of $250 apiece. All five “Hardwood Classics” jerseys, however, are each available for $72. The retro jerseys are the same price and made of the same material as contemporary Pistons replica jerseys produced by the official NBA merchandiser, Adidas.
For the complete “Hardwood Classics” collection, Adidas also produced t-shirts, warm-up pants and two warm-up shooting shirts. Both shooting shirts include a reference to the team’s early beginnings on the front and the three NBA titles on the back. “It’s geared toward our 50th anniversary and the championships we’ve won,” Morris said.
The “Hardwood Classics” merchandise is not a limited holiday edition, but it won’t be around forever. All throwback items will be available at both locations inside The Palace, the Great Lakes Crossing outlet and online while supply lasts.