When it comes down to it, the Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t exactly known for their stylish uniforms. Their primary uniforms aren’t exactly good, with their “Icon” edition blue uniforms being one of the worst in the NBA due to the bunched-up script logo that is placed above the numbers on the center of the jersey.
Their efforts at alternate uniforms haven’t fared much better, as their current Statement uniform is the perfect example of being all-business in the front but a bit of the mess on the back. So needless to say, the expectations for the Oklahoma City Thunder when it comes to uniforms are on the floor.
That’s what makes it such a relief to see that the team has indeed gone with City edition uniforms that could easily be considered the best uniform in their current catalog. The uniform itself is striking simply because of the choice to go with turquoise. It’s a bright and vibrant color that sets itself apart from the rest of the team’s uniform set and it also stands out when it comes to City uniforms that you will see across the NBA.
This includes a sublimated striping pattern that runs diagonally across the center of the jersey and a script logo across the chest that brings to mind elements of Native American culture.
As a matter of fact, this entire uniform is meant to be a tribute to the Native American culture that is present in the Oklahoma area. The color turquoise itself is recognized as the color of friendship in Native American culture and the sublimated diagonal stripe is meant to represent a sash. Speaking of sashes, the pattern on the shorts is similar to the sublimated pattern on the jersey. In this case, the pattern is bold and once again takes inspiration from native elements.
Overall, the uniform is well-designed and the ideas are solidly executed on this uniform and it’s easily the best uniform that the Thunder have worn in their history in Oklahoma City. The Thunder also score points here for proving that you can indeed respectfully use Native American culture for your sports identity. Instead of using their culture in an effort to present an ugly caricature, the Thunder were able to come up with a look that properly pays tribute to the people who they are trying to honor and recognize with this uniform.
It also helps that the designer of the uniform himself is a Native American. It’s definitely a plus when your uniform not only properly pays tribute to a particular culture but is also drawn up and designed by a member of that culture. Plenty of teams across sports should take a note from what the Thunder have done here, as this is the proper way to come up with a uniform based in Native American culture that looks great and is also respectful as well.
