A few years ago, the NBA signed an apparel contract with Nike and the company will begin producing NBA jerseys next season. The deal will last for eight years and it is worth approximately $1 billion, according to sources. This is certainly a big change for the league as new jerseys will look completely different.
Not only will they be manufactured by Nike, but they will also have a small patch, which is an advertisement. Next season will be the first NBA season with on-jersey advertisements, and once again, a big brand will be in charge of the jerseys.
Another thing that will be different from previous jerseys is the Nike logo that will appear on the game-worn gear.
Since the NBA made a big change with jerseys, many teams decided to make a complete redesign of their uniforms. Some of them changed small things such as fonts, yet some teams changed everything, including color scheme.
However, it seems that the Miami Heat will not be making any changes to their jerseys. Of course, there will still be a Nike logo on them and possible an advertisement patch, but the team will keep its color scheme, font and every other detail that appeared on last year's jerseys.
Miami Heat's Nike jerseys
Many NBA teams have officially announced their new Nike jerseys, but the Miami Heat haven't done it yet.
However, Heat rookie Bam Adebayo posted a screenshot of himself in "NBA 2K18" and he wore a Nike Heat jersey that looked almost identical to the jerseys the team wore last season.
Here's my 2k rating! Dreams becoming a reality! 🙏🏾 @Ronnie2K @NBA2K #NBA2K18 #2KFirstLook pic.twitter.com/Fv9IkOwELK
— Bam Adebayo (@Bam1of1) August 10, 2017
Sure, an "NBA 2K18" screenshot isn't a good proof, right?
After all, it's just a video game that's a work in progress and those Nike Miami Heat jerseys could be just a placeholder until the team announces new jerseys.
However, it seems that the video game does have the Nike jerseys for the Miami Heat. Another proof of that is the rookie shooting the 2017 NBA draft class recently had.
Once again, Bam Adebayo was wearing a new Heat jersey and it looked just like the one that appeared in the "NBA 2K18" screenshot.
.@MiamiHEAT rook @Bam1of1: Part-time long snapper. #WhoDoYouCollect #PaniniNBARookie pic.twitter.com/KF1u36w8BM
— Panini America (@PaniniAmerica) August 11, 2017
Nike's contract with the NBA
Before Nike signed their eight-year contract with the NBA, Adidas was manufacturing the league's jerseys. Adidas signed a deal with the NBA in 2006 and it lasted for 11 years. Before them, it was Reebok who supplied the best basketball league in the world with on-court gear.
In March 2015, Adidas decided to not extend the contract with the NBA, which allowed Nike to step in and offer their own high-quality products. Nike's first contract with the league will last for eight years, but if the cooperation brings mutual satisfaction, we might see this company's NBA jerseys being worn for more than a decade.