The 25th season of the WNBA starts soon — the official date hasn’t been released. To celebrate the silver anniversary of the league, the WNBA has partnered with Nike to release new jerseys.
“The basketball uniform is an important representation of the brand of WNBA players and teams, and a point of pride for fans,” expressed Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA Commissioner. “In partnership with Nike, unveiling new and exciting adaptations of the WNBA uniforms is a dynamic way to build on the foundation of the league’s first 25 years.”
All 12 teams will be wearing three different uniforms this season. Furthermore, each player’s number will now also be on the front instead of just the back like it has been in previous years. In the past, the front of the jersey had sponsorships and the team’s logo displayed on the front.
The WNBA’s partnership with Nike will include three editions: Heroine Edition, Explorer Edition, and Rebel Edition. The Explorer uniforms will be based on a team color, Rebel a female empowerment storytelling Jersey, and Heroine is home white.
While Nike has partnered with the WNBA for a few years, this year the company wanted to take things to the next level:
“Nike has partnered with the WNBA for its game uniforms since 2018, but there was clearly more to be done — more personalization, more options, more storytelling, and more attention to the careful dialing-in of performance features.
Sharper creative expression and refined-fit insights directly from players guide the new Nike uniform system and apparel offering for the WNBA as the league embarks on its 25th season.”
Fans can purchase the Rebel Edition Uniforms if they are a Nike member starting today. Also, the Explorer edition jerseys and the WNBA Team 13 collection will become available next week on April 14.
Some storylines behind the Rebel Edition jerseys including women being given the right to vote (Washington), women breaking the glass ceiling (Chicago), and celebrating the Women Airforce Service Pilots (Dallas) to name a few.
Talk to me niceeeee ??❤️ pic.twitter.com/kvmnj0UHIq
— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) April 8, 2021
These uniforms – these are proclamations. It’s the people who got us here. The home we represent. The family that won’t let us fall. pic.twitter.com/qMePI0ZVa4
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) April 8, 2021
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— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) April 8, 2021
Powerful. Enduring. Disrupting. Undeniable.
These are our Heroine and Explorer uniforms >> https://t.co/FIdZ6EBsCq#DistrictOfChange pic.twitter.com/sbevB8Ivgv
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) April 8, 2021