Cavs: Paying homage to Cleveland’s history with 2021-22 City Edition Jerseys

In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, Cleveland is throwing it back with some classic callbacks in their brand new 2021-22 City Edition jerseys. The Cavs were one of the many NBA teams to have their new jerseys revealed on Monday. As the NBA celebrates 75 years of basketball, teams are showing respect to the past.

At first glance, you can already see the Cavs’ rich history proudly on display with these jerseys. Along with the new court design as well, Cleveland is ensuring they give a space for the teams’ most memorable highlights.

Cleveland turns the clock back with their brand new City Edition jerseys and court, paying homage to great teams of the past.

From the humble beginnings of the Cavs emerging as an expansion team in the league back in the 70s, to their meteoric rise as NBA champions in 2016, the 2021-22 City Edition jerseys and court illustrate the team’s journey throughout the ages.

Let’s take a closer look at these jerseys and the new court design as well, and discuss just how the Cavs are paying homage to their past.

The first thing that catches the eye on these jerseys is the sword-wielding swashbuckler on the front. Along with the checkerboard pattern, this aspect of the jersey pays its respects to the original Cavalier uniform of the 70s when the team made their debut in the league. One moment in particular that the logo invokes is the Miracle at Richfield when the Cavs beat the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference semifinals back in 1976.

Continuing the trend of playoff victories, the new shorts of the City Edition uniform feature the Cavs logo from the 1992 playoff run where Cleveland bested the Boston Celtics in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference in a 7-game series. Another key component of Cavs history can be seen with the in-line numbering and “splash ball” logo, invoking the memories of 1994 when the team returned to Downtown Cleveland in the Gund Arena. The Cavs seem to be weaving in some inspiration from their previous playoff runs throughout these uniforms.

Those satin panels on the shorts of these uniforms call back to 2007 when a young LeBron James would lead the Cavs to their first-ever NBA finals appearance. Cleveland would end up losing that series 4-0 to the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Cleveland had been all too familiar with those first-round playoff exits, never quite making it to the end. Reaching the finals for the first time was monumental for this franchise. It makes sense to see this piece of Cavs history displayed on the new uniforms.

Even the new court designs pay homage to the team’s past, in this case the recent past. On the bottom of the court, as well as the bottom of the jersey, there are seven diamonds featured. The third, fifth, sixth, and seventh diamonds are all colored gold, signifying the four games the Cavs won in the 2016 NBA finals that led them to become champions over the Golden State Warriors. Breaking a 52-year drought of misery in Cleveland, the Cavs brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to “The Land” for the very first time.

Whether it’s calling back to the team’s infancy in the 1970s when the likes of Austin Carr and Campy Russel donned the original jerseys, or showing respect to the era of the 90s when guys like Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance Sr made their mark on this franchise, to celebrating the recent victories of 2016, these City Edition jerseys certainly pay homage to the team’s greatest hits.

People say that history often repeats itself and with the history of the Cavs woven throughout these jerseys, we cannot help but look forward to the future of this team.