Detailed design elements pay tribute to the cultures, traditions and native languages of the 22 Tribal Nations of Arizona
The Phoenix Suns 2022-23 Nike NBA City Edition uniform honors Arizona’s 22 federally recognized indigenous tribes with its symbolic turquoise color and thoughtful design details. Arizona is home to one of the largest urban Native American populations of any U.S. state and tribal lands and reservations account for more than a quarter of the state’s total land area. The City Edition uniform pays tribute to the rich histories and cultures of the state’s Tribal Nations and celebrates their shared love of basketball.
“It was important to us that we have a City Edition uniform that honors the original residents of Arizona who built the state that we call home. The Suns and the Tribal Nations share a respect for family, community, the environment and basketball,” said Graham Wincott, senior marketing director, Phoenix Suns.
Suns Senior Director of Live Presentation Shawn Martinez played an integral role in bringing the new uniform to life. Martinez is Diné (Navajo) and was born and raised on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona where basketball was, and still is today, an important part of the community.
“Back home rez ball is central to our way of life and brings our diverse communities and cultures together on and off the court,” said Martinez.
The research and design process for the City Edition uniform began two and half years ago led by the Suns’ in-house marketing and creative teams with consultation from a Navajo designer.
“The Suns are long-time partners of the Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) and have broadcast playoff games in the Navajo language, but this is the first time we’ve had a uniform dedicated to the state’s Native American roots, so we’ve spent the past few years immersing ourselves in the history and cultures of Arizona’s Tribal Nations to properly honor each tribe’s heritage and traditions,” added Wincott.
The Suns worked directly with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, comprised of leaders from 21 of the 22 Tribal Nations of Arizona, and the Navajo Nation to ensure the leaders of each sovereign nation were included in the development process. The Suns also collaborated with local groups including the Heard Museum, Phoenix Indian Center and Cahokia SocialTech and ArtSpace, an indigenous-led platform for creative placekeeping in downtown Phoenix, for educational and creative support.
“From the beginning, it was essential for us to engage and involve our tribal communities and leadership in the design and development of the uniform. This enabled us to modify and enhance the uniform design with appropriate and culturally relevant details that otherwise would have been missed. Hearing the voice of our Tribes and having their support makes this even more special. It was definitely a collective team effort,” said Martinez.
With help from local partners, the team was inspired by thousands of years of shared characteristics, symbols and traits when designing the uniform. The turquoise color represents the living or protection stone, stemming from the shared belief that the earth is living and all things are precious. A color of strength, the turquoise uniforms will serve as the team’s suit of armor.
A new logo inspired by the Native American medicine wheel, depicted on the waistband of the shorts, represents the four cycles of life and the four cardinal directions. The 22 feathers in the medicine wheel logo and the 22 arrowheads lining the bottom of the shorts represent each of the state’s tribes.
The black tape running down the jersey top and shorts features the word for ‘sun’ in each of the tribes’ unique native languages and is perhaps the uniform’s most important feature.
“The presence of the traditional languages of all 22 Tribal Nations of Arizona on the uniforms is significant in showing the resilience and perseverance of our cultures,” noted Martinez. “Many of these languages were never written and have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. We are honored to be able to showcase the diversity of culture and pride of these remarkable sovereign nations.”
PayPal, the Suns official patch partner since 2018, is featured on the upper left shoulder opposite the classic Nike swoosh.
A matching hardwood design will debut this season with the medicine wheel at center court and the 22 translations for ‘sun’ along the perimeter. The color configuration of the medicine wheel at center court is rotated to ensure that the white and black colors face north while in its fixed position in the arena.
The Suns will wear the uniform throughout the 2022-2023 season starting with the home game on November 16 against the Golden State Warriors. Tickets are available here.
The team will wear the uniform 10 times at home as part of “ORIGINATIV,” a season-long celebration series hosted by Gila River Resorts and Casinos honoring the 22 Tribal Nations of Arizona. The Suns will also wear the uniform on the road for seven games primarily focusing on cities with large indigenous populations.
Fans can purchase the Nike NBA City Edition uniform starting today at the Team Shop at Footprint Center at 10 a.m. or online at Shop.Suns.com.
More information on the Tribal Nations of Arizona and images of the design details are available at Suns.com/ORIGINATIV.
Images and videos are available for media use here. Courtesy of Phoenix Suns.
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Media Contacts:
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Mychael Ramirez
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