USA Today via Reuters
Dec 22, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after receiving 2020 NBA Championship ring before a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 22, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after receiving 2020 NBA Championship ring before a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The trend of jackets is not unique in the NBA. Normally, every championship-winning team gets their jackets done to celebrate their title. And it is about time the Los Angeles Lakers players had theirs after the team’s title-winning run in Orlando.
Team owner Jeanie Buss just gave a sneak-peek of what these jackets will look like through her Instagram stories.
.@JeanieBuss showing off the @Lakers 17 x Champions jacket by designer Jeff Hamilton 🏆🔥
Via Jeanie Buss (IG) | #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/ULkhLgJrn4
— ShowtimeForum (@ShowtimeForum) January 11, 2021
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As one can expect, the jackets look gorgeous. Designed by NBA’s unofficial jacket mogul Jeff Hamilton, it has 17X embezzled on the top just below the collar, while the team’s logo, and the year, 2020, is right at the heart of it. In the background, there’s a view of palm trees and a beach, possibly as an homage to Orlando City which hosted the recent Playoffs and where the Lakers had their championship exploits.
Why are these jackets so popular?
The jackets have a rich history behind them, courtesy of Jeff Hamilton. The former Gucci designer became a cultural phenomenon in the 80s and the 90s because of his funky jackets. He met Magic Johnson who introduced him to Michael Jordan and the rest as they say is history.
Since the players have to wait five months to get their hands on the title-winning rings, Hamilton designed jackets in advance for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, which they donned to celebrate their 3-Peats in the 90s.
As recounted by Hamilton himself, MJ asked for them as soon as he got into the locker room. “The first question from Michael,” Hamilton remembered, “was ‘where’s my jacket?'”
Kobe Bryant with the iconic Los Angeles Lakers’ 2001 title-winning jacket
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Kobe Bryant lives long in the memory of the LA Lakers fans. So it is only fitting that one of his most iconic images as a Laker is in one of the title-winning jackets designed by Hamilton. Here, he is holding the 2001 Larry O’Brien trophy while wearing the jacket.
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These are as much a staple of the NBA as the rings. And they are not going out of fashion anytime soon with LeBron James & Co. also donning them.
