You’ll recall last week the NBA announced Rookie “Debut” patches and the jerseys of the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year will feature a gold logo patch on the back of the jerseys.
Turns out there are going to be a LOT of players wearing different patches when the NBA opens its season later tonight.
In addition to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP), Evan Mobley (Defensive Player of the Year) and Stephon Castle (Rookie of the Year), who will will have their respective trophy icons sewn above the maker’s mark on the front of their uniforms, members of the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams will also wear a specific patch.
Recognizing this might create a patch overload for certain of the league’s best players, individual awards will be prioritized over all others. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won last season’s MVP and made the league’s All-NBA first team, will only sport the MVP patch and not the All-Pro one.
Here’s what that patch will look like.
In addition to the Topps gold logo patch, SGA will also reportedly wear a special MVP patch for opening night.
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Per ESPN, “The patch will be worn only for their season debut, with 35 different players set to wear one. The uniform will then be auctioned off by Sotheby’s, the official game-worn source of the NBA, during the season. Each player will receive a uniform to keep.”
Here’s a look at the gold NBA logoman patch to be worn by SGA, Mobley and Castle:
Finally, 35 players will wear the special award patches, in addition to the entire rookie class which will wear the “debut” patches.
Here’s a sampling of how those jersey patches will look:
If you’re curious, here are the players who will have the additional patch and what it is for.
Player
Team
Award/Patch
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City Thunder
MVP
Evan Mobley
Cleveland Cavaliers
Defensive Player of the Year
Stephon Castle
San Antonio Spurs
Rookie of the Year
Jalen Brunson
New York Knicks
Clutch Player of the Year
Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors
Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year
Payton Pritchard
Boston Celtics
Sixth Man of the Year
Dyson Daniels
Atlanta Hawks
Most Improved Player of the Year
Jrue Holiday
Portland Trail Blazers
Sportsmanship Award
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks
All-NBA First Team
Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets
All-NBA First Team
Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics
All-NBA First Team
Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland Cavaliers
All-NBA First Team
Anthony Edwards
Minnesota Timberwolves
All-NBA Second Team
LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
All-NBA Second Team
Cade Cunningham
Detroit Pistons
All-NBA Third Team
Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves
All-NBA Third Team
Tyrese Haliburton
Indiana Pacers
All-NBA Third Team
Jalen Williams
Oklahoma City Thunder
All-NBA Third Team
James Harden
Los Angeles Clippers
All-NBA Third Team
Lu Dort
Oklahoma City Thunder
All-Defense First Team
Draymond Green
Golden State Warriors
All-Defense First Team
Amen Thompson
Houston Rockets
All-Defense First Team
Toumani Camara
Portland Trail Blazers
All-Defense Second Team
Rudy Gobert
Minnesota Timberwolves
All-Defense Second Team
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Memphis Grizzlies
All-Defense Second Team
Ivica Zubac
Los Angeles Clippers
All-Defense Second Team
Zach Edey
Memphis Grizzlies
All-Rookie First Team
Zaccharie Risacher
Atlanta Hawks
All-Rookie First Team
Alex Sarr
Washington Wizards
All-Rookie First Team
Jaylen Wells
Memphis Grizzlies
All-Rookie First Team
Matas Buzelis
Chicago Bulls
All-Rookie Second Team
Bub Carrington
Washington Wizards
All-Rookie Second Team
Donovan Clingan
Portland Trail Blazers
All-Rookie Second Team
Yves Missi
New Orleans Pelicans
All-Rookie Second Team
Kel’El Ware
Miami Heat
All-Rookie Second Team
Even the coaches and staff will get in on the fun. Reigning NBA Coach of the Year, Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson, and Executive of the Year, Thunder‘s Sam Presti, will wear lapels celebrating their accomplishments.
“We wanted to shine a little bit of a light on what those trophies are, what they look like and give those players a little moment. Now, do I think at the first game of the year they’re all gonna get out there and get a standing ovation? Maybe not,” said Christopher Arena, head of the NBA’s On-court and Brand Partnerships.
I’m not a huge fan of the patches, as they simply add visual clutter to a jersey already junked up with the maker’s mark and ad. Fortunately, they’ll only be worn for the season openers.
Your thoughts?
