As the WNBA heads into its most anticipated season in recent memory, half of the league’s teams are getting a makeover.
Six franchises – Chicago, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle – are adding new “Rebel” jerseys for the 2024 season. When Nike resumed jersey production for the WNBA in 2021, it instituted three rotation jerseys : the Heroine (home), the Explorer (away) and the Rebel (alternating). In 2023, the league revealed new Rebel uniforms for five teams: Dallas, Indiana, New York, Minnesota and Washington, leaving Atlanta as the only organization not to receive an update since the original release.
The new uniforms play on the characteristics of each city and region. For example, the Sparks’ new jersey is the team’s first gold jersey in the Nike era, as its current rotation includes a white home uniform and a purple away uniform. This makes it look like the sun is shining on the team, especially when paired with the iconic palm tree logo. Meanwhile, the Storm highlighted the weather aspect of their name with lightning bolt-shaped dashes in the jersey lettering.
Several elements of the Sun’s Rebel jerseys serve as symbols and homages to the culture and history of the Mohegan Tribe. Among them, the purple and white collar is inspired by the traditional Wampum collar, the detailed lines on the side symbolize the shape of the traditional healer’s belt, and the pattern of the arms and inner side panel refers to the “Path of Life.” “
The Mercury take their Rebel look – which features a pixelated sunset gradient and celebrates the Phoenix Suns’ popular “Valley” jersey – even further by adopting a matching alternate field. According to the franchise, this is the first time in WNBA history that a team will have an alternate court that will be used for the entire season.
“Led by Mat Ishbia, our organization is committed to pushing the WNBA’s investments to new heights, and becoming the first team to develop a second court specifically designed for an alternate uniform – something that has become standard in the NBA – is another example. commitment,” Phoenix president Vince Kozar said in the team’s statement.
Chicago’s wordmark, “Skytown,” is a variation of the city’s nickname, “Chi Town,” and its light blue color features silver piping and a white gradient throughout in hopes of evoking images of ‘a sky. The Aces’ jersey brings back what they call a “championship red” color, a shade that “is deeply ingrained in the team’s culture and DNA.”
As the WNBA celebrates a new clothing line, the topic of product accessibility will likely come up again. When Nike first rolled out in 2021, it was difficult to buy Candace Parker Chicago Sky jerseys, despite Parker being a Chicago native and the largest free agent signing in franchise history. Fans frequently take to social media to express their frustration over limited sizes or the inability to purchase their favorite players’ jerseys.
Earlier this week, WNBA jersey production once again moved to the forefront of discussion around the league when the Fever selected Caitlin Clark No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The first run of Clark jerseys is already exhausted, with Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, says they sold more Clark jerseys on draft night than any other player in any sport in company history. However, on Wednesday, Fanatics, which is the distribution arm of Nike jerseys, said a second batch would not be ready to ship until August.
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(Top photo courtesy of Seattle Storm)