Where are NBA jerseys made? Exploring the manufacturers and process of making team uniforms for players

Teams pay a lot of attention to the jerseys they wear and NBA jerseys creation has become a key part of their marketing strategy, especially over the last few years. They have become thorough on their effort to create impressive jerseys that will attract the fans' interest.

Over the years, teams are focused on creating jerseys that remind their fans of important moments of the past, while the City Edition jerseys are usually related to something close to the city's tradition.

One can see numerous examples if they take a look at the teams' annual City Edition jerseys, which are used on just a handful of games and on special occassions.

The jerseys are made from eco-friendly materials as Nike, the official provider, is trying to reduce the amount of polyester used during creation process. That way, they become much more friendly to players' bodies, especially during extreme weather conditions.

The brand sends the designed jerseys to manufacturers (a company named Dayu) in China to be manufactured. NBA jerseys are also made in other countries, like Canada, Mexico, Thailand and the United States.

But, exactly who are the manufacturers and what is the process of creating NBA jerseys?

What is the process for manufacturers to create NBA jerseys?

As we said, Nike has been the official jersey provider of the NBA on an eight-year deal that tipped off in the start of the 2017/18 season, replacing Adidas, which was a long-term partner of the league.

Adidas' bad reputation (scandals) and unwillingness to bid for a new deal with the NBA forced the league to shift to Nike.

Nike and NBA's statement reads, as the deal is set to expire at the end of the 2025/26 season:

"NIKE has a rich history of innovating and leading from the front, and has supported some of the greatest former and current NBA and WNBA players. The company has been a global marketing partner of the NBA since 1992 and expands its rights over eight years under the new agreement, where NIKE will become the first NBA apparel partner to have its logo appear on NBA uniforms. NIKE will also have the global rights to design and manufacture authentic and Swingman jerseys as well as oncourt warm-ups and shooting shirts"

At the same time, manufacturers, Nike and teams' design personnel have a close collaboration in order to make a decision on the style that best fits each team and create the new NBA jerseys.

The three types of jerseys are the swingman, replica and authentic, with the first two being far less expensive for fans to buy. Nadia Roohparvar, Team Brand and Uniform Product Lead at the NBA said, via NBA.com:

"The storytelling was on point this year. Our goal was to find what teams resonate with locally, but globally they also resonate given the depth of each story and compelling nature of the designs"

Jesse Alvarez, Global Product Director of Sports Apparel for Men’s Basketball at Nike, said:

"We take our time in working with the teams to be able to really go deep on the inspiration and components of each story. Each organization knows their fan bases best. They listen to their fans, and at the end of the day we’re trying to give their fans what they want through the lens of the team’s stories"

This year, the league, in collaboration with teams, has yet to unveil the new NBA jerseys, which is expected to take place heading into the preseason and first preparation games in late September, early October.