The New Orleans Pelicans 2020-21 City jerseys were leaked online on Thursday. Australian site Stateside Sports listed the jerseys for sale online, giving fans their first look at the very unique design.
While it isn’t confirmed these will be the upcoming jerseys, there are multiple signs that seem to confirm that these will be the new jerseys (h/t Reddit user caos_14).
In early July, Fletcher Mackel of NBC NOLA reported that a new Pelicans jerseys would be based on the New Orleans flag.
I have been told by NBA source that this idea has been in the works since last season and fans can expect a new look, ‘flag of New Orleans’ styled @PelicansNBA jersey for next season. https://t.co/DmxrbdzwMR
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) July 1, 2020
Later the same week, SportsLogo.net confirmed that the new jerseys would be the team’s City jerseys and would “feature three fleurs-de-lis across the chest rather than the team’s name,” which these jerseys do.
Multiple other teams have either released their City jerseys or had them leak as well in the last week, including the Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets.
The new jerseys certainly are divisive and led to some strong reactions on social media.
It these are real, they are maybe the worst jerseys I’ve ever seen https://t.co/HDXxnn0sQL
— Maggio (@kylemaggio) October 29, 2020
Zion should request a trade for this alone https://t.co/ouqYsg8w02
— kyle/Free agent nba fan (@knicks_tape99) October 29, 2020
this was my "City" jersey for the Pels https://t.co/iXczyzNaFA pic.twitter.com/RnAPsNBf7i
— Grant Goldberg (@GrantGoldberg) October 29, 2020
Given how popular Zion Williamson is, it’ll be interesting if the new jerseys will still be popular in terms of sales, regardless of the immediate reaction. In many cases, jerseys will a limited usage often become more of a novelty item if nothing else for the Pelicans.
What do you think? Do you like the jerseys? Let us know in the comments below.