LeBron James Reveals Heat Teammates Aren’t So Hot On Sleeved Christmas Jerseys
It’s been more than a month since the NBA and Adidas unveiled the Christmas jerseys to be worn by all teams playing on Christmas Day in 2013; LeBron James and the Miami Heat among them. James and Co. had been relatively mum on the topic until a few days ago, when LeBron revealed some of his Heat teammates haven’t exactly warmed up to the Christmas jerseys.
The Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman tweeted Friday, “the Heat’s shooters ‘are already upset about’ the Christmas jerseys.”
“I can’t have my shooters out there worrying about some sleeves and not shooting the ball,” LeBron James said in a quote Goodman attributed to him by Twitter.
Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Dwyer points out that LeBron is “making a significant distinction between himself, and ‘my shooters'” in said quote.
Dwyer then goes on to point out, “holy cow, these things are gauche.”
Now, whether you agree with that sentiment or not, the impact sleeved jerseys may have on games is one to ponder. For every other game of the year, James and every other NBA players play without sleeves. It’s not a matter of preference; it’s a rule dictating that players cannot wear undershirts with their jerseys. So why would the NBA force these jerseys on their players when sleeves aren’t the norm?
The obvious answer is money (duh). Merchandise sales will trump anything in the sports world, and the NBA is no different. Which explains this commercial for the Christmas jerseys, featuring LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Steve Nash all sporting those jerseys, playing Jingle Bells by shooting three-pointers into nets with bells.
It’s a neat trick, but not nearly as cool as last year’s commercial, in which LeBron James teammate Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook and Joe Johnson played “Carol of the Bells” by dribbling in place, all part of the greater merchandising purposes of the Big Color Jerseys (which were much worse than the sleeves).
What do you think about LeBron James’s “shooters” not wanting to wear the sleeved jerseys? Do you think the sleeves will affect LeBron and the rest of the Heat as they take on the Lakers?
