Since the NBA designated their logo to the back of the jerseys for this season, some have wondered if the NBA Finals patch will also be placed on the back. In years past, the NBA Finals patch has been placed in the front of the jersey. Last year, they combined both the NBA logo and the NBA Finals patch together into one.

So this year, with the NBA logo above the player name, the NBA appears to have decided to keep the NBA Finals logo on the front of the jersey.

If shirt jerseys (shirseys) are any indication, the NBA Finals patch will look like the above. Instead of a gold patch, it’s the wordmark for the NBA Finals and the NBA logo. It’s very minimal and it’s a first in my memory that they are using the script of “The Finals” as the patch for the championship round. Additionally, it doesn’t feature any gold or the image of the championship trophy.

It’s different but it makes sense. For the championship round, you want the photos and videos of the games to be distinguishable from other games from the season. Having the patch on the back of the jersey limits the visibility. But keeping it in front works well. So if this is what the NBA is doing, it’s a smart move. The patch could have been bigger or featured some gold (or even the Larry O’Brien Trophy), but I have no issue with this design. Simple works for me.