Good afternoon.
The Milwaukee Bucks joined the Washington Wizards today in unveiling a “Classic” (throwback) edition uniform for the 2022-23 season.
Like the Wiz, the Bucks are throwing it back to the 1990s by retuning to the purple and green uniform that was first introduced in the early 90s.
Here’s a look at the full uniform:
The team also released a hype video which shows additional views of the uniform.
Classic never goes out of style. pic.twitter.com/UHH4J2U4QC
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 11, 2022
The NBA/Bucks describe the uniform thusly:
Honoring the dawn of the franchise’s Big 3 era, the Bucks’ “Light It Up” Classic Edition uniform is a replica of the team’s road uniforms that were worn between 1993 and 2002 and became synonymous with Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson. In addition to the purple base color, the uniforms also feature the team’s logo from that era on the shorts and the silver “BUCKS” wordmark across the chest with green and white trim around the whole uniform.
Additional closeups here:
Outside of ten games in 2013 when the Bucks donned their green deer-head throwbacks, they will be wearing Purple and Green for the first time since they changed their color scheme in 2006.
Like the Wizards new “Classic” throwback, I wasn’t a big fan of these uniforms when they were first introduced…but like the Wiz, I’m sure there are many who grew up with them and remember them fondly. What do you guys think?
Hated them then, hate them now.
Bring back the Irish Rainbows!
Seconded.
Ugh, throwing back to the 90s.
It was because of the 90s that I was started to be sorry I ever started to care about uniforms.
Lee
I get that the 90s nostalgia isn’t for everyone, but the 90s uniforms were so much better, on average, than what the NBA goes with now. The 90s teams had much stronger identities, even if they weren’t your favorite, and they stood out so much more for, what I would consider, to be mostly good reasons. I get that the Pistons in teal, for example, will never be right to some and that’s understandable, but the Bucks had so much of a stronger identity to me with purple or red and I wish they’d always have stuck to one or the other. I’m sure it’s just the nostalgia doing a lot of the talking, but I’m fine with throwing back to the 90s.
Yesss!! Took the words out of my mouth! I truly feel the very same. So many childhood memories from the green and purple uniforms. At 11 yrs old, I once met and took pictures with Ray Allen and Armon Gilliam! It meant everything to me because I was also playing and getting stronger in my personal basketball energy during the years of purple. Definitely some great players remembered at that time. You said it all much better, Joe!!
Nice to see another purple uniform in the NBA. I hope they bring back the deer head ones; those are so bad, they’re quite bad.
Not a fan.
link
If you’re going to throw back to the 90’s, go big (with the mid to late 90’s alternate) or don’t bother.
I remember liking Vin Baker in these unis even though they better reflect the Ray Allen era.
EXACTLY! Big three was originally Baker, Robinson, and Allen. LOVE #42 VIN BAKER!!!
I always think it’s important to remember how these things worked in the context of the times.
The Irish rainbow jerseys and serif BUCKS font had been around for close to 20 years by the early 90’s. Styles were trending more toward bolder, less natural colors and more angular looks, in part because we were entering a world with more computerized graphics, where things being more bold and less natural-looking was just part of what you could produce more easily on computers. The Irish rainbow jerseys were basically the opposite of that. Plus, after the Cummings/Moncrief/Sikma era ended, the Bucks were not a good team and needed a change-up to feel more fresh.
I understood and didn’t mind the change at the time. And yeah, it was time for a change again when they went back to green & red.
I’d be interested in seeing a bell curve of people’s ages who like this jersey, as well as people’s ages who don’t. I have a feeling this will be popular with folks in their 30s and 40s who remember the Light It Up years, but less so with folks younger and older. Nostalgia, for most, is just an attempt to relive childhood & teenage years, often.
I have this one as an adidas replica with Gary Payton’s number 20. The number and the wordmark in glittery silver. That glitter is so un-Bucks that it looks really good. But again, like the Wizards: think of something new and fresh, do not pander at boomers like me or young kids with misplaced 90s nostalgia. Create something unexpected. As much as I like the Irish Rainbow and this purple monster, last season’s mixup was really nice I think. Do something similar: mix up eras.
Agreed to a large extent. I’d rather see something entirely new, or something that uses the nostalgia but creates something that hasn’t been done before. For example: I don’t hate the broad concept of the deer head airbrushed uni, but the execution was terrible. Keep the deer more minimalist (say… all white, stencil style, and more graphic/not so photorealistic) and you’d have something decent.
Hard pass. The 90s were a rough period for fashion. Thought all these ugly, garish NBA uniforms were buried forever. Silly me.
Born in 1991 and a Bucks fan, so these are fun to see. Some of my earlier memories are from the 2001 playoff run, which had been the high-point of Bucks success in my lifetime until (obviously) just recently.
Calling all of these terrible 90’s uniforms “classics” is just terrible. Maybe call them “reminders of our past mistakes”?
The NBA has run out of “Classic” uniforms by now. . . . right?
These jerseys remind me of putting quarters into the NBA Jam cabinet at the local roller rink
The best Bucks set by far. Clean and crisp.
Agreed
I’m not a big jersey guy, but I make an exception for purple: I own Ray, Sam, AND Glenn jerseys.
Love these jerseys – I have the Champion Allen, Robinson & Respert jerseys.
Not a Bucks fan or hater but I always see them in the red/forest green as their best look.