September 13, 2017 –The Charlotte Hornets today unveiled their Classic edition uniforms for the 2017-18 season, bringing back the design worn by the original Charlotte Hornets from their inception in 1988 through 1997. Like the previously released white Association and teal Icon editions, the uniform features the logo of Nike’s Jordan Brand. The Hornets – the only team in U.S. professional sports to have the iconic Jumpman logo on its uniforms – will feature five different uniforms in their 2017-18 uniform collection.
“Since we brought the Hornets name back in 2014, our fans have practically been begging for us to wear a version of the original Hornets uniform,” said Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield. “We could not be more excited to give them what they want and to see the historic pinstriped, teal Charlotte uniform back on an NBA court.”
Based on the uniform worn during the Hornets’ first decade, the teal jersey includes the familiar crossover v-neck and mutli-colored pinstripes in royal blue, light blue, purple and green. The shorts feature the classic Hornets logo on the waist and the identical royal blue, teal and white trim as the original. The Hornets will wear the Classic edition uniforms for three home games during the 2017-18 season: November 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, December 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks and January 13 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fans can purchase tickets to these games beginning Monday, September 18, at 10 a.m.
While the design of the uniforms comes from the past, the physical uniform is the same version of the Nike Aeroswift basketball chassis as the Association and Icon editions. The new chassis includes modifications to the armholes, back shoulder, seams and hemlines, as well as a material that remove moisture 30-percent faster than previous NBA uniforms.
Designed by Alexander Julian, the original Hornets uniforms were an immediate success and remain popular today, more than 20 years since they were last worn on the court. The teal uniform became one of the favorite jerseys for basketball fans around the world and began a color trend that resonated throughout professional sports.
Beginning today, the Hornets Mobile App is running an enter-to-win contest in which five users will be selected to win a Classic jersey of one of the five Hornets starters and a pair of Jordan Super.Fly 2017 shoes.
The Classic jersey is expected to be available at retail in November.