In a decision that everyone has been waiting for, the Toronto Raptors have finally brought back one of the greatest jerseys in the history of the sport, the Dino jersey.
Throwbacks are sometimes call-backs to out of date, and out of touch times, or for teams that are trying to remain relevant by clinging to the past. Other times, it’s what everyone clamors for. Things are great for the Toronto Raptors, but why can’t they be better?
Now, they finally can be. A week after one Reddit user leaked a potential throwback homecourt, the Toronto Raptors finally confirm everyone’s suspicions to be true. They brought back the famous Dino jerseys and it’s about time.
Day 1 fit, 25 years later. pic.twitter.com/rGFwh0Zxrw
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 30, 2019
The Toronto Raptors broke the news early on Friday morning with a typically slick and well-received promo video that featured stars of past and present in a highlight reel style feature.
The video opens with Kyle Lowry, the greatest player in Raptors history, lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy at the team’s parade while wearing the throwback Dino jersey, before rewinding back to 1995 and Damon Stoudamire, the first pick in Raptors history.
Routinely described as some of the nicest threads in all of sports history, the Raptors wore the popular dinosaur jerseys from 1995 – their debut season in the NBA – until 1999, before switching up their uniforms to much-less “in your face” style of jerseys. While there was nothing wrong with the successors, they never had a chance of outdoing the Dino.
The Dino is iconic. It comes from the cartoon-style era of NBA logos but doesn’t feel out of place in towards game. It’s big, boisterous, and just so aesthetically pleasing. Fans alike have begged for its return for years, and the Raptors did wear the purple road jersey on occasion during their 20th anniversary season, but now feels like the right time.
Nike has taken over as the NBA’s exclusive jersey provider since the 2017-18 season, and overall, the uniforms in the league just feel a lot fresher and cleaner to look at. That’s not slight on Adidas at all, more just this writers opinion.
The wait has paid off, though. The jerseys once again look like the nicest in all of the NBA – even after the Utah Jazz dropped their iconic “Mountain throwbacks” one day prior. Nike has done everything right in re-creating the jerseys, and in some respects, they may even look better than the originals.
Championship threads for the champions of the NBA, it’ll be a nice touch to see the current iteration of the Raptors wear the threads that were taking the NBA by cultural storm from day one.
Whether you think these uniforms are some of the greatest in sports history or not, you can certainly agree that it’s about time these jerseys made a triumphant return.