8 details you missed on the new Nike NBA jerseys

Starting in the 2017-18 season, Nike will begin an eight-year apparel partnership with the NBA. This means the Nike swoosh will be seen on all NBA gear on and off the court, most notably with four brand new jerseys for each team.

Nike rolled out the Icon and Association jerseys for each team in the summer of 2017, which essentially serve as the traditional home and away jerseys we’ve known. For many teams, these jerseys were similar to what we had seen in the past.

But while it didn’t seem much changed at first glance, Nike added several details you could have missed. Consider this your jersey Easter Egg hunt.

Fear the Deer was once a cute playoff slogan for a young Bucks team that wasn’t scaring anyone. (Sorry, Andrew Bogut fans).

But now they have the powerhouse that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, so adding a subtle Fear the Deer to the new uniforms is more appropriate than ever.

They don’t need to shout it anymore. This will do.

There will be no Nike swoosh in Charlotte during this era — only the Jumpman. With Michael Jordan as owner of the Hornets, it appears Nike will let MJ do whatever he wants.

And that means all Jordan everything. Check the top right sleeve on these new uniforms.

The Clippers are going back to their roots with this hidden message for fans. When the Clippers were in San Diego, their shorts had nautical flags down the side that spelled out “CLIPPERS.”

In 2017, a string of nautical flags will be displayed near the tag of the new Clippers jerseys. These flags were changed to match Clippers colors rather than the nautical colors, and spell “CLIPPER NATION” as a homage to their fan base.

The Pacers got an entire new look for the 2017-18 season, the first uniform change for the team since 2005. In this new set, the Pacers will be the only team in the NBA that has the team’s full name on the jersey.

The Cavaliers have been using “All for One, One for All” since at least 2008, prior to LeBron leaving for Miami. Why it’s still their slogan nearly 10 years later, I’m not sure, but it most likely has something to do with The Three Musketeers.

Yes, musketeers and cavaliers are essentially the same thing, and “all for one and one for all” is a quote from the original movie. That’s some dedication to the brand.

Teams that have championships will get a nice gold patch on the back collar of their jerseys for each title they’ve won. Here is the Lakers’ jersey, featuring 16 patches.

This is yet another nod to the fans who follow these teams closest. Rip City is the famous phrase that Bill Schonely, the team’s play-by-play announcer, came up with in the Blazers’ first season. During a comeback win against the Lakers, on a half-court shot that tied the game, Schonely shouted, “Rip City, alright!” It has been with the team ever since.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the current play-by-play announcer talked about the impact of “Rip City” today:

“When traveling around the country during the season I get asked a lot, ‘What does Rip City mean?’ My answers probably don’t ever satisfy … I just say, ‘Go to Portland and you’ll understand.’”

There is plenty of excitement surrounding the 76ers this year after they landed Markelle Fultz in the NBA draft to pair with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers are embracing their roots in the city of Philadelphia, also known as “The City of Brotherly Love.” When William Penn named the city, he combined the Greek words for love (“phileo”) and brother (“adelphos”), earning the city’s nickname.

“Brotherly Love” will be embroidered on both the Icon and Association jerseys in gold on the bottom left corner of each jersey.