While the NBA is a League that has always had its share of individuals, the one unifying feature of all players is that everyone wears uniforms. But that doesn’t make them uniform. Some franchises have opted for simple jerseys with their team name in a stylized font, such as the Knicks or the Minneapolis Lakers, other teams have gone for more interesting expressions. Check out, for instance, the New Jersey Nets, with a red/white/blue stars and stripes motif; All-Star Game jerseys, with stars literally all over them; a Toronto Raptor jersey featuring an enormous cartoon raptor. Sometimes it’s in the details, like with the trim on the throwback Syracuse Nationals jersey. And then sometimes we’re drawn to the colors, like with the gorgeous baby blue and red of the old Sacramento Kings jerseys.
Whatever you like, for many of us uniforms can be much more than just a statement of which team we’re cheering for. We picked some pics in the gallery below of uniforms that caught our eye.
What is your favorite uniform of all-time? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to continue the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #NBAStyle… -
Around here, we like to freeze-frame moments that encapsulate a pivotal moment in basketball time. From the Lakers’ camp this season, Pau Gasolalready gave us the shrug. What do we have this time around? How about a peeved, er, contemplative Kobe isolated while the rest of the team is gathered:
This was early in the Lakers-Raptors contest, before Dwight Howard got himself ejected, before the Lakers’ furious late-game rally, before…another loss.
With Chicago and Memphis looming next, this still visual might get more company.
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Welp. Last night the Lakers fell again in a fairly spirited affair (Steve Nash and Pau Gasol got technicals), this time to the Nuggets 102-95 in L.A. If you are searching for a still visual to precisely depict Gasol (11 points, five boards) and the Lakers at the moment, you’ve come to the right place:
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Pau Gasol has always been one of the most socially conscious players in the NBA, so it should come as no surprise that he is spending part of his offseason in Chad as part of a UNICEF mission to service over one million malnourished children in the Sahel region of the country. From the LA Times:
Gasol has long been aware of the human condition, appreciative of the joys and sorrows that life brings. The Lakers forward has taken another step in further grasping that concept, arriving in the African nation of Chad on Thursday as part of a week-long trip in the Sahel region, where he’ll work as a UNICEF ambassador.
Gasol has been Spain’s UNICEF ambassador since 2003, so he’s been on the “using my prestige and privilege to help people out” train for a long time. He’s even willing to lower himself to singing terrible songs by The Fray, if it helps raise money for the organization:
This last March, Gasol participated in El Rey Theater’s “Play List With the A-List,” in which celebrities sang karaoke to raise funds for UNICEF. Gasol sang the Fray’s “How to Save a Life.”
If only there were a series of tubes where someone might have posted video evidence of Gasol and his pipes. (Thinking). Oh right!
Gasol won this past season’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, so it’s good to see the big man isn’t resting on his laurels.
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The Lakers, if you haven’t heard yet, are going to be adding two-time MVP and Batman re-imaginer Steve Nash to the fold when the free agency moratorium expires July 11. Many wonder how he will interact with Kobe Bryant, but one Lakers player who has no reservations about playing with Nash is All-Star big man Pau Gasol, who took to the internet to voice his approval of the deal:
I don’t know what big man wouldn’t enjoy playing with Nash, but of course, as my man Sekou Smith pointed out yesterday, there’s a realistic chance Gasol will never have the opportunity. So sad for him.
By the late morning, there will be all kinds of analysis and “best dunk(er) ever” debates over Blake Griffin’s evisceration of Pau Gasol. But there should also be room in that discourse over Gasol’s frontcourt mate Andrew Bynum’s reaction.
Good to see a teammate sticking up for a fallen comrade there.
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you…The Bynum Face.
*Bonus – If TBF wasn’t enough, look no further than the stands. My man with his hands over his head and two ladies to the left of the basket with mouths agape is sufficient enough to let you know that, well, Griffin isn’t that bad of a dunker.
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An interesting day for the Lakers — after months of speculation about the futures of guys like Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both of them stayed put, while seemingly Laker For Life Derek Fisher was somewhat unceremoniously shipped out in what was essentially a cost-cutting move.
After Dwight Howard, it’s possibly no other player was the subject of more speculation about his future than Gasol, famously prompting Kobe Bryant to call out Lakers management to poop or get off the pot, if you will.
The deadline passed today at 3 p.m. ET, and with Gasol still safely ensconced in Purple and Gold, he took to YouTube to address his situation, and you can feel the relief just pour out of him:
Classy guy. Like many, many players, I imagine he is very happy to have this day behind him.
A sad day in the NBA, as Ricky Rubio‘s sensational rookie season comes to an end thanks to a freak knee injury suffered at the tail end of Friday night’s loss to the Lakers. Rubio has been even better than advertised in his rookie season, and his dazzling passing and infectious enthusiasm will be sorely missed.
This has been a tough season for all the players due to the compressed schedule, and we’ve seen many good players go down with injuries as a result. And as sad as I was when Hawks’ C Al Horford went down, for example, I don’t think any player’s misfortune has been as widely met with dismay as Rubio’s has. Just take a look at the outpouring of support on Twitter from some of the NBA’s zeitgeist when the news broke today:
LeBron James (@KingJames) — S/O to Ricky Rubio! Have a speedy and successful recovery
Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) — Praying the Ricky Rubio has a speedy recovery!
Dwyane Wade(@DwyaneWade) — Ricky Rubio’s injury isn’t 1 that any basketball fan wanted 2 C. He’s had an amazing rookie season & has brought life back 2 a franchise. Chris Paul (@CP3) — Prayers out to @RickyRubio9 and hoping for a speedy recovery!
Kevin Love (@kevinlove) — Love my teammate and friend @rickyrubio9. Here’s to a quick recovery. We will miss you.
The recovery time for Rubio’s injury usually takes 6-9 months, which means he will likely miss this summer’s Olympics as well — a big blow to the Spanish national team’s chances. His Spanish mates chimed in as well:
Pau Gasol (@paugasol) – All my support to my friend and mate @rickyrubio9 after knowing the hard news about the results on his knee injury. Rudy Fernandez (@rudy5fernandez) — All my support to my friend and mate @rickyrubio9 Jose Calderon (@josemcalderon8) — All my support to my big friend and teammate @rickyrubio9. Hard news about his knee. He’ll be back stronger
Several other NBA players offered their prayers and condolences:
Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) — Prayers to Ricky Rubio. Keep your head up and hoping for a speedy recovery. #Classof09
DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) – A speedy recovery to Rubio! Mario Chalmers (@mchalmers15) — prayers goin out to @RickyRubio9. No NBA player wants to go thru that. keep ya head up and get that knee stronger Baron Davis — (@Baron_Davis) Rubio smh. Damn ! Praying for you! Wishing you a speedy recovery. You will be stronger than ever!!!! DeAndre Jordan (@deandrejordan) — praying that @rickyrubio9 has a speedy and complete recovery… Greivis Vasquez (@greivisvasquez) – Que triste la lesion de Ricky Rubio, le deseo una pronta recuperacion. Anthony Tolliver (@ATolliver44) — Praying for @rickyrubio9 ! Extraordinary healing is coming your way! Keep your head up
There aren’t many players in the league with the kind of court vision and offensive creativity that Rubio possesses. Here’s to a complete and total recovery, and hopefully a full season in 2012-13.
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Each day until the end of the NBA Finals, we’ll be taking a look at the conventional wisdom of the moment — which team is currently the favorite to win it all, and which team should be ashamed to still be putting on their jerseys.
Here’s how it looks on the morning of Saturday, May 7.
Start planning the parade:
Dallas Mavericks
Harp on the Mavs’ history of coming up short in the playoffs all you want, but it’s hard to question the toughness of a team that has two fourth quarter comebacks in three games against the two-time defending champs, and Dirk Nowitzki is playing as well or better than anyone else in the playoffs at present – Derrick Rose included. Dallas is also getting bonus production from unlikely sources — namely, back-from-the-dead Peja Stojakovic, who hit three 3′s and scored 15 off the bench in Game 3. This team is locked and loaded right now, and seeing as they are undefeated at home in these playoffs, are likely to finish off the foundering Lakers in Game 4 on Sunday.
Give it up already:
L.A. Lakers
My word, what has happened to Pau Gasol? Just to prove the point that the NBA is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of league, Gasol, a winner of multiple NBA championships with the Lakers and a world (and Euro) championship with his native Spain, has once again caused the media to question his resolve and ability to withstand the harsh glare of the postseason spotlight.
Dynasties never go out quietly. Between Gasol’s MIA performance and Ron Artest going off the rails, this Lakers squad is about to face a harsh dose of reality. And let’s face it, Kobe not getting any younger. Oh, and Phil is leaving. And Lamar is married to a Kardashian.
Add it all up, and it could be a while before we see the Lake Show playing basketball in the month of June again.
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The man featured in the image above is Michael Fanter, and, as you can see, he very clearly resembles Lakers star forward Pau Gasol. His Halloween costume for the next decade is set.
And, if the price is right, he can look like Pau Gasol at your next wedding/bar mitzvah/court date (character witness?)!
The Pau Gasol Impersonator will wear the Laker home jersy (sic) and shorts, can play basketball, mingle with your guests, and make your event unforgettable. If you have any special requests please let us know.
I am inclined to want to make fun of Mr. Fanter, but I actually wish him the best of luck and success in his venture, because my brother-in-law looks exactly like Drew Brees, and if this business model is successful, that could mean big bucks!
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Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
