LA Clippers fans that pay close attention to the NBA and its branding know that ever since Nike took over as the designer of the team jerseys for all 30 squads (with the exception of Jordan-brand sponsored Charlotte), every team has gotten a fresh new jersey every season since 2017. These jerseys are the unique city edition uniforms, intended to represent something special and exclusive to a particular team's home city.
Since these designs came into being, we have seen many a special and memorable creation, but also several that were more forgettable. The reality is that Nike's business model seeks to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the proverbial orange, and sometimes brands are stretched too thin trying to constantly come up with new designs.
This week, the Clippers officially released their new city edition uniforms for the 2024-25 season, along with the city court that corresponds to them. We had already seen a leak of this concept, but now it is official. The design takes inspiration from a local Los Angeles-based artist, Jonas Wood.
The new jerseys feature a powder blue color officially referred to as "Pacific Blue," and is intended to represent the Clippers' nautical heritage, according to the team. The "Clips" wordmark across the front of the uniform mirrors the design used for the 2023-24 city edition uniforms.
The LA Clippers have officially launched their City Edition jerseys.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 14, 2024
Here’s a look at the players wearing them, along with the special court. pic.twitter.com/6rsauBK2lK
Clippers' new city court uses artwork from a Los Angeles-based artist
The new court that will be used in conjunction with these jerseys features varying shades of brown, accentuating the wooden floor. At center court is the new "LA" logo used by the team ever since this year's massive rebrand, with two basketballs in the top of the "A." Alongside the logo is a large flower in the style of local artist Jonas Wood.
In an article on the NBA's official website, the new jersey and court combo is described as "celebrating the love of basketball that defines the city, culture and organization." The Clippers felt that this design "blends retro and modern styles, drawing inspiration from the Clippers’ 1980s uniforms and incorporating distinctive basketball elements."
Overall, this design is a nice segue from last year's design that also incorporated elements of Wood's art. It is likely hard for teams to keep coming up with original designs year after year, but what the Clippers have created here is a nice part two to the concept from last season that also recognized the unique Pacific roots of the Clippers.