NBA Jersey Manufacturer History: 2023 Edition (Part 3)

G'day Bulbers! I am a big fan of collecting NBA jerseys and I have an extensive collection. Over the years I've gone on a quest on mastering the art of collecting jerseys and studied the history of NBA jersey manufacturers.

I've been writing about NBA jersey manufacturers, taking a journey back through history, for the last few days and here is the final part. I've spoken about Sand-Knit, Champion, Starter and Puma. Here are the final two manufacturers!

Adidas

Adidas was founded in Germany in 1949 and had played an important role in shaping athletic footwear and apparel. The brand was the official outfitter of the NBA in a period spanning from 2006-17.

During the Adidas-era of NBA jerseys, the brand developed multiple generations of jerseys as they continued to innovate and develop new technology.

Following the first generation and second generation, Adidas developed the much lighter Rev30 edition jerseys, and the brand continued to push to new levels of creativity and styles. 

Additionally, Adidas collaborated with renowned designers and artists to create special edition jerseys including the NBA All-Star Game jerseys. 

Nike

Nike was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports and became Nike in 1971. The brand has become one of the most recognisable in the world with the iconic Nike logo, the "swoosh".

It was Nike's Air Jordan sneaker line, in partnership with basketball legend Michael Jordan, that not only revolutionized Nike, it also changed the athletic footwear industry into what it is today.

For one-third of the league, Nike became the official outfitter for all 'authentics' jerseys during the 1997-98 season and again during the 2001-02 season.

Since 2017, Nike then became the official and exclusive NBA jersey manufacturer for all teams, taking over from Adidas for all Swingman and Authentics jerseys.

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