By JOHN P. WISE One Great Season
With Fashion Week getting started here in New York on Friday, it only makes sense to put the OGS Lists team to work and have them crank out a collection of the best uniforms in basketball. Here's what they came up with:
- Los Angeles Lakers road unis: The overall coolness of the Lakers kits took a hit when they rolled out the white-on-white look about a decade ago. But the purple and gold is a great mix, and the design hasn't deviated once in my lifetime. Here's to consistency!
- UCLA Bruins home unis: We're talking about style, so of course we're keeping it in Los Angeles. Most top uniform lists cite road togs because of bold coloring. But UCLA's home kits also have remained simple over the years. The plain white backdrop underneath pale blue and gold lettering and trim is a very classic look.
- Indiana Hoosiers road unis: Another tradition-rich basketball powerhouse enjoys great stability on the uniform front. Casual observers like the shade of "red" in IU's away tanks and shorts, but the school calls it crimson. The design hasn't changed, the IU logo has always been cool and even the vertical-stripe warmup pants make a statement.
- Marquette Golden Eagles road unis: Al McGuire's 1977 national champions were partly known for their cool kits that included untucked jerseys. Decades later, the school has undergone a few uniform changes, even a re-named mascot, but the current away look is outstanding. Whether it's the navy or the powder blue underneath, the font and design up front and the horizontal blocks up the side combine for a truly stylish presentation without looking too busy.
- Boston Celtics road unis: As a kid going to Cleveland Cavaliers home games, I hated seeing the Celtics. But there was something mesmerizing about that head-to-toe green look. When Bird, McHale and Co. would emerge from the locker room for pre-game warmups, the Celtics looked like one of those old-school, Plen-T-Pak packs of Doublemint gum. Nothing but green. They were decades into that style at the time, and they've kept the look ever since. Celtic green is a lot like Yankee pinstripes. You just can't stop staring.
