When it came time to create this season’s City Edition uniforms, the Milwaukee Bucks — as they have in the past — looked close to home. Although, this time around, it was closer than usual.
This time last year, they pulled back the curtain on a design that drew inspiration from the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, most pointedly from the “Patchwork” mural on North Avenue. For the 2023-24 City Edition collection, all they had to do was walk outside Fiserv Forum and turn around.
One of the striking design features on the new uniform is the swooping banner that runs across the front of the jersey and down the side, extending onto the shorts. If that element conjures images of Fiserv Forum’s roof, that’s exactly the point.
Tying the look to the Bucks’ home court stemmed from a desire to emphasize their role as “a community gathering place for fans in Wisconsin and around the world,” according to a release from the team. More specifically, the organization started the design process trying to capture the feeling in the Deer District during the 2021 NBA Championship run.
“We have developed an incredible bond with our fans, and we take great pride in our role in bringing communities together,” Bucks chief sales and marketing officer Dustin Godsey said. “The images of our fans packed in Deer District during the 2021 playoffs illustrated that we have the best fans in the NBA. This uniform pays homage to them.”
The nod to Fiserv Forum sits on a uniform bathed in the team’s “Great Lake Blue” color, which also appeared as part of last season’s City Edition collection. What separates it this time around is the incorporation of a lighter blue that gives the uniform’s foundation a speckled, almost shimmering element.
As a sort of cherry on top of the whole thing, the team used the area around the jock tag in the lower corner for a pair of phrases that connect back to the community element: “Deer District” and “Gathering Place.”
If you want to see the new gear in person, it’s available in the Fiserv Forum Bucks Pro Shop now. It’s also in the team’s online store and will be worn for the first of seven times this season during Friday night’s home game against the New York Knicks.
