The Philadelphia 76ers’ leaked alternate jerseys are certainly… something

NBA alternate jerseys are one of the best… when they are good.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ scaled Mamba uniforms, the Orlando Magics’ galaxy print pinnies, and the Philadelphia 76ers‘ current Spectrum-inspired digs, when a team puts time, effort, and thought into an alternative look, it can rapidly capture the hearts of fans outside the franchise.

But when done poorly? Goodness, things can get ugly. Need proof? Well, need I say more than OKC Thunder’s current all-white alternates?

… yeah, I didn’t think so.

So why, you may ask, are we talking alternative jerseys? Well, because a selection of new uniforms for the 2022-23 season has reportedly leaked online, and the Philadelphia 76ers’ offering is… not so good.

The Philadelphia 76ers should rethink a “City of Brotherly Love” uniform.

If you read this blog with any frequency, you’ve probably seen the phrase “City of Brotherly Love” tossed around a time or two. In this writer’s humble opinion, the nickname is one of the best in the United States, maybe even the world, and perfectly personifies the city’s attitude in both a cheeky and sincere way.

Would folks buy a souvenir t-shirt with the phrase printed across its front? Sure, I would imagine that very shirt sells like hotcakes at the airport, the Bourse Building, and in stands at the Reading Terminal Market, but on a jersey? For the Philadelphia 76ers or another team?

Yeah… I’ll pass.

And yet here we are, the 2021-22 NBA season is about to kick off its final stretch before the playoffs, and Casey Vitelli of NBA Uniform Tracker has shared a leaked copy of some 2022-23 alternate uniforms with a “City of Brotherly Love” jersey in the style of the “Seventy Sixers” uniforms from 2019-20.

See what I mean? They’re sort of just… bad, right?

Sporting no blue and nothing down the sides – at least according to the mockup – the uniform looks incredibly empty and very Microsoft paint-y, in my humble option. It doesn’t feature a throwback vibe like the Detroit Pistons’ very 00s look or a unique color scheme like those of the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat and just genuinely lacks the sort of innovation that the Spectrum jersey hit out of the park.

Could these uniforms ultimately fail to come to fruition for one reason or another? Most definitely, I would imagine a team’s marketing department mocks up all sorts of ideas over any given calendar year, but if they do, something tells me they won’t be particularly popular.

As a general rule, Philadelphia 76ers fans are a simple bunch when it comes to jersey aesthetics. They like nostalgiac, referential uniforms that don’t stray too far from tradition but still strive to innovate. The Philadelphia Eagles’ black uniform, while not Kelly Green, is a hit, and outside of a few misses, the Philadelphia Phillies have largely produced quality alternative uniforms across the color spectrum. To the Philadelphia 76ers’ credit, most of their alternative uniforms have been successful both aesthetically and financially, with the weird “Our City” Liberty Bell look serving as one of their few misses. Could this “City of Brother Love” uniform follow suit, or will it develop a full following? Only time will tell… or hopefully it won’t, because I, for one, am not a fan.