Ahead of the NBA beginning its 2020-2021 season this month, teams around the league are rolling out City Edition uniforms that honour their home base, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have designed theirs to pay tribute to their city's rocking history.
For the team's City Edition jersey, a new wordmark was created that combines the Cavaliers' "C" with select fonts from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, including David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, the Who, the Beatles and Metallica.
The attention to detail doesn't stop there in creating "a design and style that reflects the grit, attitude and spirit of Cleveland's rock'n'roll history." The Rock Hall's motto, "Long Live Rock," is stitched near the jersey's tags, while team and Rock Hall-themed badges will appear on uniform shorts to mimic tour buttons and patches.
Of course, those already critical of the rebuilding Cavaliers didn't hesitate to pile on the jersey design likened to a cut-and-paste ransom note, but the team feels "its unconventional style embodies a decades-long desire for excitement and individuality as fans of rock and roll turn to the music that continues to define generations as a unifying force and form of true self-expression."
For the team's City Edition jersey, a new wordmark was created that combines the Cavaliers' "C" with select fonts from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, including David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, the Who, the Beatles and Metallica.
The attention to detail doesn't stop there in creating "a design and style that reflects the grit, attitude and spirit of Cleveland's rock'n'roll history." The Rock Hall's motto, "Long Live Rock," is stitched near the jersey's tags, while team and Rock Hall-themed badges will appear on uniform shorts to mimic tour buttons and patches.
Of course, those already critical of the rebuilding Cavaliers didn't hesitate to pile on the jersey design likened to a cut-and-paste ransom note, but the team feels "its unconventional style embodies a decades-long desire for excitement and individuality as fans of rock and roll turn to the music that continues to define generations as a unifying force and form of true self-expression."
Another music-themed City Edition uniform will come from the Memphis Grizzlies, designed in tribute to late soul legend Isaac Hayes and Stax Records. You can watch a sweet unveiling video set to Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" below.Can't imagine how this ever was approved by anyone? The City Edition program has really been an exercise in design futility. Memphis is the only real exception. pic.twitter.com/j85VtgCB90
— The Original OG (@TOGradyCHI) November 30, 2020
NBA.com broke down the design elements of the Grizzlies' new uniforms as follows:
The uniform's black background and vertical stripes represent the grooves in the vinyl records Stax produced, delivering Memphis soul and music to the world. The gold and turquoise colors throughout the uniform are pulled from Hayes' 1972 Cadillac El Dorado, displayed today at the Stax Museum, and echo the gold records and legendary, international hits pouring out of Stax during the 1960s and 1970s.
The ornate "MG" pattern trimming the neckband, shorts and left side panel of the uniform, inspired by African Kente cloth, represents Hayes' flair for fashion and voice for social activism. The vents on each side of the shorts accent the uniform with a Stax logo and Hayes' trademark sunglasses while Hayes' name is emblemized just above the jersey tag to represent the mark he left on the design, in Memphis and on the music industry.
Closer to home, the Toronto Raptors will once again sport City Edition uniforms with a black and gold colour scheme from Drake's OVO — a new take on last year's "Welcome Toronto" City Edition jerseys.
This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees included Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G., Depeche Mode, T. Rex, the Doobie Brothers and Nine Inch Nails.