It started with a crisp white background before turning to a silky-smooth black color. The Nuggets’ Skyline Revival Trilogy is now complete with flatirons red.
Since 2018, the Nuggets have reenergized their brand with a redesigned logo and new jerseys. The City Edition has been a significant part of that revitalization, paying homage to the classic 1980s Rainbow Skyline jerseys. The choice to go with the current hue is a tribute to the state of Colorado.
“The flatirons red color points to the landscape of Colorado and is a universal color for goodwill,” the Nuggets SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Declan Bolger explained. “That is meaning behind the jersey and it reflects the unique community that lives in Denver.” Bolger also said the authoritative and robust color is meant to symbolize the team’s current ambitions and bright future. “As this city continues to grow and evolve, our team continues to grow and evolve. We’ve seen the emergence of this team and the relationship between it and the city,” Bolger said. He added, “Tim Connelly [President of Basketball Operations] continues to find new and creative ways to evolve the team, like the city of Denver as it continues to grow and evolve. Tim has really led the way and that is similar to the new Denver that we’ve seen over the past few years.” When Bolger mentions the “new” Denver, he is referring to the city’s dramatic growth over the past decade and its mantra of inclusion. They’re reflected through five pillars, community objectives such as, Inspiring a culture of inclusion and diversity, building bridges in the community, working hard and enjoying life, celebrating arts and music and investing locally. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bolger and the Nuggets hope to increase the grassroots initiatives that the team implemented with the initial City Edition jersey launch in 2018. That means continuing to grow their local youth basketball program and various community initiatives. The organization hopes the jersey signifies a call to action for fans to be active citizens and participants in fortifying and preserving Denver. “We want all to be included in Mile High Basketball,” Bolger emphasized. “We want Denver basketball to be an important part of our city’s culture.” Bolger also revealed this will be the third final skyline-themed iteration of the Nuggets City Edition uniform. It is a fitting end to a successful campaign for the franchise, which saw the team rank 10th in jersey sales during the NBA’s restart tournament in Orlando. He hinted that next year’s City Edition will look back to the team’s history as an NBA franchise.
“Next year we will look to celebrate the team’s 45 years in the NBA,” Bolger said. “So for us, it was fitting to lead up to that with our Skyline trilogy.”
For more information on the 20-21 City Edition uniform please visit https://www.nba.com/nuggets/city-edition.