If it had happened to just about any other player in the NBA, we probably wouldn’t be writing this story about Nike’s new NBA jerseys. But because this happened to on Tuesday night, it’s news.
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown grabbed hold of James’s jersey, creating a neat straight-line tear between the 2 and the 3 on James’s back. And with Nike in its first year as the official uniform provider of the NBA — it’s an eight-year deal worth nearly $1 billion overall — it’s hardly a good look when the game’s best player, a Nike-sponsored player, gets his jersey torn nearly in half during the first game of the season.
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Nike officials spent Wednesday “extensively reviewing” why James’s jersey split. It wasn’t the first time it happened, either, as Lakers guard Tyler Ennis had his own wardrobe malfunction during the preseason.
If you want to conduct your own investigation, the NBA is auctioning off James’s torn opening-night jersey, with all proceeds benefiting hurricane relief. The bidding stood at $10,040 as of Thursday morning.
Nike also faced scrutiny in 2012 over its new NFL uniforms, with the game’s bigger players complaining that they were too tight.
“I hate them. They are built for thin guys,” 49ers guard Alex Boone said at the time. “It makes me look like I have big old love handles.”
