Fans fume as rumored Christmas Day NBA jersey plan backfires with ‘dumb’ flaw

Apr 9, 2026 - 17:15

Christmas Day jerseys in the NBA have been hugely popular over the years.

Some iterations, like the sleeved versions, not so much.

Players and fans have been calling for the return of NBA Christmas Day jerseys for years

When Nike took over NBA‘s jersey contract from Adidas in 2017, though, the holiday season tradition suddenly ceased to exist.

Players and fans have expressed their desire to see the special editions make a return in the past, including one of the NBA’s all-time greats, LeBron James.

“Not having Xmas day unis anymore really sucks! That was a great feeling walking into the locker room and seeing those. It was literally like receiving a ! Whomp whomp! ” James posted to X in December 2024.

Over recent seasons, jerseys have undergone some amendments around the holiday season, such as the addition of snowflake patches above the nameset in the 2025-26 campaign.

Now, a decade on from the last official NBA Christmas jerseys in 2016, they look set to make a highly-anticipated comeback.

However, based on the rumored design leaks, their return to the court may not be as welcomed as expected.

Rumored Nike 2026 Christmas Jerseys already faced considerable backlash

Basketball Jersey Archive collaborated with Pro Line Mockups to give an insight into the “highly-experimental” aesthetics of the Nike NBA 2026 Christmas jerseys.

They revealed the designs for eight teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Every leaked image follows virtually the same template, with them all using a dark, solid base.

All logos, including the Nike Swoosh, team wordmark and player numbers are centralized, and are much smaller than conventional jerseys.

Each year, Adidas would create themed jerseys for the Christmas Day games

The mock-ups of the rumored jerseys have not been received well

Although difficult to showcase on a 2D design template, the graphics incorporated onto the jersey, such as the stars on the 76ers’ uniform, are loud and are reportedly designed to depict a glowing effect.

Each is uniquely designed to use this effect to represent their respective city’s identity, such as the outlines of the Golden Gate Bridge for the Warriors, and neon-like purple of the Kings which is a nod to their “Light the Beam” moniker.

However, with the jerseys all being somewhat formulaic, one fan has called out a fundamental flaw – if they’re all black or dark colored at the base, how could the two teams facing each other be distinguished clearly?

“I think these are fashion jerseys not xmas. Why? Because all of them are black and will blend with themselves from tv, crowds and even floor standpoint. Silver is not that dumb to allow them to be wear against each other,” the fan posted to X.

“Real talk tho, how will this work in game they are all dark colors, more leaks to come on lighter ones?” a second added.

In general, the mock-ups were not well received.

Some fans have called out that it would be difficult to distinguish between the two teams with all the jerseys having a dark base color — Some fans think it would be difficult to distinguish between the two teams with all the jerseys having a dark base color

The sleeved Christmas Day jerseys have been a particular talking point over the years

“Nike has been absolutely awful for the NBA. Jeez Louise,” one fan commented.

“I have never hated a piece of Lakers apparel more in my life. And that’s including the sleeved jerseys,” a second user commented, referring to the sleeved jerseys that were used between 2013-16.

One positive fan noted: “The fabric here will probably be extremely shiny or just something unique, and that will be the highlight once it’s made for real. It kind of looks like gift wrap. Hehe.”

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