Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: NBA, Basketball
James Taylor
Three NBA stars will wear gold logos that have never been seen before on their jerseys in the new season.
The basketball season returns in less than a week, with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets in the opening game on October 21.
The Thunder come into the season as the team to beat, having defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-3 in the NBA Finals back in June.
However, no team has successfully defended their title since the Golden State Warriors in 2018, so going back-to-back will be a huge challenge.
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They will expect stiff competition from Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets, while the LA Lakers cannot be ruled out as long as NBA icon LeBron James remains in Los Angeles.
With pre-season drawing to a close, anticipation has continued to build ahead of the new season's tip-off.
This year, there will be a notable change to just three jerseys, with three players wearing the 'gold logoman'.
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The winners of last season's Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia Rookie of the Year and Kia Defensive Player of the Year will each wear a gold logo patch on the back of their jerseys.
That will mean Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Evan Mobley, and Stephon Castle have the opportunity to wear a unique jersey for the duration of the upcoming campaign.
It will not be the only update to NBA jerseys for next season, with the 'debut patch' also being introduced.
Trading card company Topps has collaborated with the NBA and this year's rookies.
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In a statement they wrote: "BREAKING: Beginning this season, all NBA rookies will wear a Debut Patch on their jersey.
"After a player makes their on-court debut, the patch will be removed from their jersey and placed into a 1-of-1 autographed trading card.
"These cards will then be randomly inserted into sealed packs, releasing in 2026."
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The patch features the NBA logo with the word 'Debut' written beside it.
The debut patch concept has already been adopted in other American sports, with both Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer introducing similar ideas.
In an interview with ESPN, Fanatics Collectibles CEO Michael Mahan spoke about the excitement of receiving a rookie patch from a player who goes on to become a legend.
Mahan added: "Imagine having LeBron [James]'s, [Michael] Jordan's, [Steph] Curry's debut patch and what that would mean?
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"Well, the next generational superstar will have a debut patch , the ultimate rookie card.
"And trading cards haven't been associated with achievement, success and accolades: we're going to bring that into trading cards."