Philadelphia 76ers unveil black ‘City’ jerseys to mixed reviews

The Philadelphia 76ers’ new uniforms have divided the fanbase.

As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers released their ‘City Edition’ uniforms on Tuesday. The new threads — designed with input from Ben Simmons after his Rookie of the Year campaign — will be incorporated into the Sixers’ usual rotation of jerseys for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

The uniforms harken back to the Allen Iverson era, invoking the jet-black background made famous during Iverson’s legendary 2001 playoff run. That season, of course, is coming up on its 20-year anniversary.

With white lettering, red and blue trim, and the Boathouse Row skyline adorning the top, this uniform does plenty to catch the eye.

Ben Simmons modeled the new threads, too.

In this writer’s opinion, the new uniforms are visually appealing and appropriately sentimental. While many would have enjoyed thread-for-thread remakes of the Iverson-era black and gold, these uniforms maintain Philadelphia’s color scheme and pay homage to the city.

It also happens that Iverson is a fan of the new threads. Here’s what he said to ESPN.

"I love ’em. It’s almost bittersweet. You look at them and you imagine yourself playing in them — adding the headband, the wristband, the sleeve, trying to put your flavor on them.”"

Naturally, the reaction on twitter was… mixed. Here are some highlights from the Sixers intelligentsia.

Well, maybe not mixed reviews. Mostly negative reviews. Consider me the voice of dissent, if not the voice of reason.

Regardless, we can expect to see the new uniforms in action sooner than later, with the NBA season set to begin on Dec. 22 — less than two months from now. The real question is, who will get to wear the new threads? Will Al Horford or Josh Richardson get their moment in ’01-inspired black?

The Sixers’ new uniforms — complete with an alternate court, to boot — will surely become a focal point of next season’s marketing campaign.