LeBron James is not a big fan of the new Cleveland Cavaliers alternate basketball jerseys. We actually pointed this out just a week ago when discussing Cleveland’s new custom basketball uniforms, as the black alternates include sleeves around the shoulder and the top of the arm. We knew this could be a problem because James said as much back when the NBA issued Christmas Day uni’s that had sleeves. James wasn’t alone, either, as several other players complained that the jerseys were too restrictive and uncomfortable.
James declared himself to be “not a big fan” when these types of jerseys first popped up in the 2013-14 NBA season, especially after a particularly bad shooting performance in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
That was definitely the case again when the Cavs debuted their black alternate jerseys on Wednesday night, and it’s possible it had a negative impact on the team, as a whole. It certainly seemed that way early on, as Cleveland simply wasn’t hitting good looks as they fell behind at home to the New York Knicks, 32-18 in the first quarter.
James turned to the jersey to unleash his anger in the first half, as he ripped open both sleeves from the armpit out. James was surprisingly not issued a penalty or asked to put a new jersey on, and later on after the game suggested his acting out was more about frustration with the game. James then did admit again it could have had something to do with the jerseys, but suggested he liked the look and that it was nice for the franchise to have a cool black jersey.
The funny part about this is that, while watching the game live, this writer knew exactly what was going through LeBron’s mind. He hated these jerseys two years ago, and he was probably hating every second of warming up for this game. That anger leaked into the second quarter, as James and the rest of the Cavs were struggling offensively and losing to a rival.
No other Cleveland player appeared to “customize” their black alternate jerseys, but after James touched his up he went on to have quite a solid game. Ultimately, James took over the game with 23 points and the Cavs prevailed with a strong fourth quarter, taking down Carmelo Anthony and co., 96-86.
James has already suggested he’ll need to plan ahead and “figure something out” as to not let the tightness of the sleeves impact his game. It will be interesting to see that when it happens. Cleveland is scheduled to don James’ least favorite custom basketball uniforms a couple more times this year, but the star forward should be a little more prepared next time around.
What do you think of the restrictive jerseys? Do you think King James has a point? Debate it in the comments below!
