The NBA will have more teams wear uniforms with sleeves next season, in an attempt to push the sales of jerseys. The Golden State Warriors were the first to wear the Adidas short-sleeve jerseys, which they debuted against the San Antonio Spurs on February 23, 2013.
The league plans on having five teams wear the new style jerseys as an alternate during 12 games during next season, according to an NBA source.
"We are interested in doing more short-sleeve jerseys when it makes sense," said Patrik Nilsson, president of Adidas North America.
Nilsson said that Adidas is also focused on selling more jerseys and are hoping to make an innovative move change with the jerseys. They have already invested $35 million a year to become the official apparel company of the NBA through the 2016-17 season.
NBA Executive Vice President of global merchandising Sal LaRocca told ESPN that every team was offered the option to add the jersey as an alternate and didn't confirm the number of teams that accepted the offer. He also added that the jersey adds an option for fans looking to buy apparel, but doesn't intend to match the sales of the regular design in the near future.
"The life cycle of our jersey continues to be really strong," LaRocca said. "Over the last few years, sales of our traditional tank-top basketball jersey has been growing worldwide. But we know that more men are comfortable wearing T-shirts than tank tops, so the idea that part of our consumer base would be interested in wearing a jersey with sleeves makes sense."
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