Wizards unveil cherry blossom inspired collections and designs

Team Introduces Cherry Blossom Retail Collaboration with Local D.C. Artist Chris Pyrate.Team Will Wear Cherry Blossom Uniform on Nov. 10.

Washington, D.C. – The Washington Wizards have unveiled numerous cherry blossom collaborations, activations and giveaways for the 2022-23 season. The Wizards will wear their Cherry Blossom City Edition uniform for the first time when the team hosts the Dallas Mavericks on November 10 at Capital One Arena. 

2022-23 City Edition Uniform: The team’s 2022-23 NBA City Edition uniform will pay tribute to the city’s iconic cherry blossoms. The jersey will emphasize one of the primary colors of cherry blossoms, with pink as the base color of the jersey as well as silhouettes of cherry blossoms on the side of the jersey. The uniform will also include white accents throughout and features a deep blue ombre on the shorts, the gradient from pink to blue symbolizing the blossoms on the water of the tidal basin, home of the most iconic cherry blossom trees.

The Wizards’ Cherry Blossom jersey will be available for purchase beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 10, at the Team Store. 

Retail: The Wizards have launched a collaborative apparel partnership with local artist Chris Pyrate for a collection inspired by the Wizards’ Cherry Blossom uniforms.  

Merging the lines between art, fashion and sport, Pyrate’s collection features his signature cherry blossom motif on several items, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and a denim jacket. Pyrate’s standout denim jacket is framed in the pattern of a jersey, making it the first jersey-jacket of its kind.  The jacket and the Wizards’ City Edition uniforms are both inspired by the team’s 2000’s era jersey.

“The challenge I took on was to make something that I will want to see worn all over the city and even beyond the DMV, instead of just at games in the arena,” said Pyrate. “I want to see the Wizards gear every day when I’m moving through DC.” 

When designing the collection, Pyrate combined inspiration from the city’s current & historic nicknames of Bloom City and Chocolate City and took a skate-wear/workwear inspired approach to the silhouettes to create a wearable, streetwear affect.  

Fans wishing to purchase items from Pyrate’s collection can do so exclusively at the Team Store at Capital One Arena. Additional items will also be sold in the store and online.

Cherry Blossom Tree Planting: To tip off the Wizards’ 2022-23 cherry blossom campaign, the team will partner with Coca-Cola to plant cherry blossom trees in the Spring of 2023.  The new cherry blossom trees will be planted at a location in the Nation’s Capital that is to be determined, joining the other iconic cherry blossom trees throughout Washington, D.C. The tree garden will be commemorated with a Wizards and Cherry Coke plaque as well as a park bench made of 100% recycled Coca-Cola bottles. 

Giveaways: As part of the team’s cherry blossom celebration, fans can enter a sweepstakes to win a cherry blossom inspired leather bag designed by Wizards Artistic Director Brett Johnson along with tickets to a 2022-23 Wizards Cherry Blossom City Edition home game and a $200 gift card to the Team Store at Capital One Arena. Fans wishing to enter the sweepstake can learn more by visiting this LINK.

The Wizards will celebrate Japanese Heritage Night on December 12^th and the first 7,500 fans will take home a Cherry Blossom City Edition-inspired tote bag. 

On March 24^th when the Wizards face the San Antonio Spurs, the team will hold Cherry Blossom Night. The first 10,000 fans will receive a cherry blossom hat designed by Monte Morris presented by FTX. 

Schedule & Tickets: The Wizards will wear their Cherry Blossom City Edition uniforms for 10 home games (full schedule below) throughout the 2022-23 season. To highlight the Wizards’ City Edition jerseys, a full in-arena LED takeover will be displayed in the cherry blossom look. Wizards Dancers and entertainers will also wear cherry blossom-inspired outfits. 

Those in attendance will be treated to a City Edition open video, showcasing footage from the team’s preseason trip to Tokyo, Japan. The new video also features a custom Wizards track by Japanese artist DJ Yamato.

Fan’s wishing to attend the Wizards’ cherry-blossom inspired nights can purchase tickets at this LINK.