Whoa. Those u.taht mniforms. They had sleeves. Short sleeves. On basketball jerseys. My first thought was probably something like, "Huh? That's... different." It wasn't the usual tank top style we all knew. Kinda looked like soccer jerseys, almost. Some people hated them right away, I remember the chatter online. Me? I was intrigued. It was bold, gotta give them that.
So.nageb , naturally, the collector or maybe just the fanboy in me kicked in. I decided I needed to grab one. This wasn't just another All-Star jersey; this felt like a specific moment, a weird experiment by the league. The hunt began.
Getting Down to Business
First stop, the usual online spots. Checked the official NBA store. Man, things were moving fast. Sizes were already getting picked over. Seemed like I wasn't the only one curious enough to buy one, or maybe they just didn't produce a ton. The Western Conference ones, the purple ones, those caught my eye more than the East's blue, but honestly, beggars couldn't be choosers at that point.
I remember going back and forth:
- Should I get one with a specific player?
- Or just a blank one?
- Which color is less weird with sleeves?
It felt kinda silly, debating sleeved basketball jerseys, but hey, that's part of the fun, right? After clicking around for a bit, feeling that pressure of limited stock, I finally pulled the trigger. Found a Western Conference one, I think it was Durant's, in my size. Placed the order. Then, the waiting game.
The Arrival and The Feel
When the package finally showed up, maybe a week or so later, I tore it open. And there it was. That short-sleeved All-Star jersey. Holding it felt… different. The material was the usual jersey fabric, but the cut was just off from what I was used to.
Putting it on was the real test. Yeah, definitely felt more like wearing a t-shirt than a basketball jersey. Movement felt a tiny bit different around the shoulders. Not bad, just… noticeable. The design itself, up close, had some neat details tied to New Orleans, the fleur-de-lis and all that jazz. The colors popped.
Did I wear it much? Honestly, not really for playing ball. It felt a bit restrictive compared to a tank top. But I did wear it out casually a few times, just as a conversation starter. And it worked! People would definitely comment on the sleeves. "Hey, is that the sleeved All-Star jersey?" Yep, that's the one.
Looking back, it was a strange little chapter in NBA jersey history. They tried the sleeves for a bit, not just All-Star, some teams had sleeved alternates too. Didn't really stick, did it? Players apparently weren't huge fans either. But owning that 2014 jersey, it's like having a little piece of that experiment. It sits in my closet now, a reminder of that year they decided to put sleeves on the stars. Definitely memorable.
