Home, road and teal alternate. However, Al Jefferson noted that the teal can be worn at home or on the road. That sounds pretty neat since the uniform color is bright enough for it.
The Charlotte Hornets officially unveiled their new uniforms today and I think they look great. They aren’t exactly replicas of their old set but taking a twist of history and modernization together, it’s a good combination.
For a full gallery, click here.
For the unveiling video, click here.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the pinstripes are gone. Well, not exactly. They may not be the main feature on the jersey, but each uniform features pinstripes that go down the side. That pays homage to the history of the team. It’s simple and unique.
What I also like about that is the stripes are only on one side. This is another homage to a very 1990s design where uniforms are asymmetrical. Having a major design element ONLY on one side is a classic `90s look and I think this is a great part of this new set.
Stripes on one side.
Alongside with the stripes being on one side (with a Carolina blue stripe no less), they will also feature a logo on that left side. For both the home white and road purple shorts they will feature the “CH” logo. On the teal alternate, it will be the Hornet logo.
I think that is a great element. Most times Alternates can either get too similar to the regular set or completely different. This is essentially a carbon copy of the regular set, but just swap in a different wordmark and a logo and it’s good.
The waistband logo is the Hornet silhouette. I like that.
The collar is an overlap, much like their old set. I like that too.
I find it odd that on the back of the jersey, right above the name, instead of a team logo, they have the NBA logo on it.
Since the front of the jersey doesn’t have the NBA logo, placing it on the back is a new design element that has never been seen before. We are so used to having the NBA logo placed on the left of the front of the jersey. But with this new design, it’s in the back.
NBA logo is now on the back of the jersey.
It’s unique. Is this the direction of the NBA going forward? Does this just make more room in the front of the jersey for ads in the future? Probably.
The other thing that really sticks out to me is the wordmark on the shorts. Only with the right lighting, can we read it. Both the home and road will have the city name and the alternate will have the team name.
Even though I knew this was happening, my only real disappointment is that the teal is the alternate. When the Hornets first arrived, teal was the primary road with purple as the alternate. At that time, I like the purple a lot. Now with the roles reverse, I crave for more teal. I hope the team takes a lot of liberty of switching them around and teal sees its fair share of playing time.
Subtle uniform design element.
Overall, this uniform set wasn’t what I was expecting. But taking into account of the team trying to include elements of the past into a modern design, it works. If I have my information correct, this uniform was designed by the Jordan brand, which explains why I might not be disappointed.
I love the asymmetry and that it’s still a very simple set. I think I am going to enjoy watching this uniform in action. The Hornets rebrand has been a complete success so far. I can’t wait for the court design unveiling that’s coming up soon.
But at the end of the day... 
