Nike Introduces The 2017-18 NBA Team Jersey Made Of Recycled Plastic Bottles

NBA and Nike revealed the first NBA team jersey for the 2017-18 season with a Golden State Warriors new jersey on Tuesday, July 18. The jersey is made of the recycled plastics bottles and designed to improve players agility.

In its official release, Nike said that one new NBA uniform is made of 20 PET bottles in combination with Alpha Yarns fabric. Nike assured the mix of these two materials is able to wick sweat faster than the previous NBA uniforms by 30 percent. Moreover, using the recycled materials showed the NBA commitment to sustainability.

Nike also revealed that its designers use the 3D-body maps, including the heat and sweat maps in order to make it more comfortable to wear. The 3d-body maps help the designer to locate the hottest and the most sweaty part of the body to refine the new jersey. As a result, the new uniform will not inhibit players’ movement, as well as increasing speed and agility.

Nike also made two significant changes from the traditional Nike Aeroswift Basketball chassis to create the new jersey. The most compelling alteration is on the back shoulders of the uniform to improve fit, weight, and construction. The second change is the hemlines on the bottom of the jersey and shorts, allowing players to make a full range of motion on the court.

The new uniform is an improved version of the jersey worn by the USA Basketball team in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Nike had asked the feedback from the members of the gold medalist USA team to improve the design and materials. Based on the players’ input, the new jersey is born.

Point guard Kyrie Irving expressed his appreciation to Nike for listening to players’ input to design the new jersey. He said that as a player, wearing a high-quality uniform is a priceless experience.

“The fact that Nike listened to all of our feedback while developing the new NBA uniforms speaks volumes. I’m excited for the new fit and feel.”

Aside from the new and improved design, NBA also changes the nomenclature of the jersey from the traditional “home” and “away” jersey. Starting from the 2017-18 season, the home teams are no longer required to wear white uniforms, but they can select one of the four primary uniforms as their home jersey. The selected uniform will be called the “Association Editions” while the visiting teams will select uniform with a different color as the “Icon Edition.” NBA and Nike will reveal the design of two more editions next Fall.

Made out of recycled polyester. Twenty bottles were used to create each uniform. ?? pic.twitter.com/Iozki586E1

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 18, 2017

Following the announcement of the Golden State Warriors new jersey, the Sacramento Kings also unveiled their new Nike uniform. In the team’s official Twitter, the Kings’ players Willie Cauley-Stein, De’Aaron Fox, Garrett Temple, and Georgios Papagiannis showcase the new team uniform.

It’s all about the details???? » https://t.co/NqEV2zfEIL pic.twitter.com/v1LRO9bqRM

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 18, 2017

[Featured Image by Winslow Townson/AP Images]