2012 NBA Throwback Jerseys: Grading Old-School Digs Coming to NBA Arenas Soon
Call it nostalgia. Call it classic. Hell, you can just call it a delectable slice of yesteryear. The following NBA teams are going old school this season, and we have the complete grades.
Trey Kerby at The Basketball Jones released what several teams will be wearing at certain points this NBA season. As he notes, not every team gets the old-school swagger. It's important to rock the outfits that we do have.
What we have are the teams and the blueprints for the jerseys they will be wearing. Being sartorial experts, we have provided a grade for each attempt. That way, you know exactly what your eyes are looking at.
Hold my hand as we step back in time to experience the hits and misses of the past that will be taking the hard court tomorrow.
*All photos via The Basketball Jones
San Antonio Spurs, 1970-71 Texas Chaparrals (ABA)
Grade: C
First up are the San Antonio Spurs, who will be wearing the latest and greatest in high school uniforms. I know this is old school, but does it have to look juvenile?
This is something I can order out of a catalog by closing my eyes and pointing.
Denver Nuggets, 1975-76 Denver Nuggets (ABA)
Grade: B
Dope. I love it for the sheer amount of cheese involved. I mean, it doesn't get much more "Nuggets" than a pickax with a...my god, there is even a nugget of something there.
Sure, it looks like a chicken McNugget, but that just reminds me it's time for a snack.
Minnesota Timberwolves, 1967-68 Minnesota Muskies (ABA)
Grade: B+
I just love the name Muskies emblazoned across the front of this jersey. Sure, a musky is a type of fish, but I like to think this is a team of men that are emboldened by the animalistic odor they secrete.
Watch out ladies, because the Minnesota Pheromones are next.
Charlotte Bobcats, 1969-70 Carolina Cougars (ABA)
Grade: C-
I would give more in-depth analysis if I didn't continually fall asleep when I looked at the damn things. The most forgettable team in the NBA has throwbacks that could really be worn by some junior college and I wouldn't know the difference.
Miami Heat, 1970-71 Miami Floridians (ABA)
Grade: A
Dope. This has everything you can want in a throwback, right down to the in-your-face color scheme. I can stare at muted colors on some other day.
I want my eyes to feel like they have been looking at the sun as a clown came and punched me in the face. This is as close as you get, but with swagger.
New Jersey Nets, 1972-73 New York Nets (ABA)
Grade: A+
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. This is what Captain America would wear if he put on tight shorts and ran the floor like Deron Williams. That is winning.
This is a jersey you will actually remember after this season. A decade from now you will wonder why the Nets don't put back on those awesome American flag unis.
Indiana Pacers, 1971-72 Indiana Pacers (ABA)
Grade: B
Safe. Solid. These are exactly what the Pacers stand for. If there was any way to include solid passing and a dedication to doing the right thing, I am sure they would have put it on there.
Los Angeles Clippers, 1968-69 Los Angeles Stars (ABA)
Grade: A-
Forget the lettering, which makes me wonder whether I had smoked or not. This is the jersey made for this current lineup.
Imagine Blake Griffin dunking in this thing. Seriously, imagine it. I know. I am smiling too.
That wraps it up for the throwbacks that will make you swoon this season. Old school meets new, and I can't help but be giddy.
