Big news out of Canada. Did they give TJ Ford an extension? Hire another Babcock? Sign yet another Euro? Nope to all. What they did is eliminate purple from their uniforms, even though they haven’t unveiled the new ones yet. Apparently the new red and white (and white and red) unis will be “more Canadian,” whatever that means. Personally, I hope it means they’re designed by Nickelback.
The Raptors have only been around since 1995, but their first uniforms—featuring elaborate pinstriping and a gaudy dinosaur—already seem incredibly dated. It was a bad time for uniforms in general, with teams like the Rockets, Grizzlies and Hornets also clad in sartorial suckiness. But the Raptors were the worst. The players in the uniforms were fine—Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter—but the Jurassic Park jerseys were horrific.
The next ones were better, at least. Still purple, but way less busy. And made from that Dri-Fit material that might very well be the best thing to ever happen to basketball jerseys. The dinosaur took a back seat, remaining in the logos but off the jersey.
And now it appears that the dinosaur will disappear altogether on the uniforms and court, giving way to the “claw” logo. Oooh, watch out for the scary footprints! I can’t wait until the Raptors move to Vegas.
